


A Mad Man, A Welsh Star and a Blue Box – The Torchwood Arc

by StrikeMoonstone9387



Series: The Mad Man and The Welsh Star [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Character Death, Female Ianto Jones, Gen, Highlander Crossover, Mentioned Characters, Pete's World, Reincarnation, Season/Series 02, Sentient TARDIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-05-04 06:18:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 195,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14586807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrikeMoonstone9387/pseuds/StrikeMoonstone9387
Summary: The Doctor and Seren resume their adventures across time and space following a chaotic Christmas filled with an invasion, a regeneration and revelations. This time they are joined by Seren’s god-sister, Rose Tyler.Over the course of their adventures, relationships are tested, strengthened and strained. During all this, they meet a former Companion of the Doctor and they are joined by a few others.





	1. Prologue

** Prologue **

On March 5, 2005, a mad man took Seren Jones’ hand and said one word, ‘Run’. Since that moment, the two of them didn’t stop running. They encountered wondrous and terrifying things in a fantastic bigger on the inside blue box as they traveled across time and space. On Christmas of 2006, the mad man changed into a new person to save his own life. As they resume their running, they are joined by Seren’s god-sister Rose Tyler.

What adventures will they have? And how does the word ‘Torchwood’ play into everything?


	2. New Earth

** New Earth **

It had been a week and a half since Christmas, the near invasion by the Sycorax and their murder. It had been a week and a half since the Doctor regenerated, Seren and Siwan’s appearances changed slightly and Rose asked to join the TARDIS crew on their adventures.

At that moment, on the uncharacteristically sunny January morning, Jackie, Mickey, Siwan, Adam, Johnny, Rhiannon, Mica and Davis stood on the grounds of the Powell Estate to see the trio off. The Doctor was inside the TARDIS, powering up the magnificent blue box while Seren and Rose were outside, Rose carrying a large rucksack on her back while Seren decided not to bring on any additional possessions.

“Have you got everything?” Jackie asked Rose, wanting to be sure. This was going to be the younger blonde’s first extended trip.

“I’ve got everything. Don’t worry.” Rose replied exasperatedly, Jackie had been asking her the same question since they left the building several minutes earlier.

“Be careful.” Jackie said, hugging Rose tightly before turning to Seren and hugging her as well.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Jackie. The Doctor and I will look after Rose.” Seren said, smiling reassuringly as she pulled back from the blonde.

Seren was dressed in an amethyst purple one-shoulder top with white patterns on the fabric, tan-coloured trousers, black 5” high heeled peep-toe pumps and silver hoop earrings that had small amethyst coloured orbs hanging from the bottom*. Her long raven-blue hair was left open, held back by a silver headband decorated with amethyst coloured crystals*, her perception filter gold ring was on her right ring finger and she had a tan-coloured cross-body purse* hanging of her shoulder to complete her look.

“I don’t think she’s ever going to stop worrying.” Siwan said dryly, dodging Jackie and hiding behind Adam as the blonde tried to swat her.

Adam laughed at the action, feeling a sense of peace and acceptance he hadn’t felt in a long time. He had been feeling it since he had told Siwan’s family, _his_ family, about his immortality and the truth about his past.

Siwan was wearing a cream coloured cap-sleeved knitted sweater blouse, slim fit dark blue denim jeans pulled over dark olive green 4” heeled knee-high boots and a dark gold cuff bracelet on her right wrist*. Her hair was tied in a loose pony at her shoulder-blades and her glasses were perched on her face. Adam was wearing an oversized off-white sweater top, dark blue denim jeans and black Doc Martins.

“Don’t forget, you’ll have to call Mo about that…” Rose started to remind her mother, brining the older blonde’s attention back to her.

“Oh, never mind Mo.” Jackie said, pulling Rose into another tight hug.

Rhiannon pulled Seren into a tight hug, kissing her cheek before pulling back and hugging Rose, Johnny pulling the gold-rimmed amethyst-eyed woman into a hug.

“You have fun, yeah.” Johnny said as he pulled back, kissing her forehead. “Have fun and be safe.”

“We will.” Seren said with a smile as Siwan stepped up and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Auntie Siwan, it’s David’s turn to hug Auntie Seren!” David cried, frustrated that he wasn’t getting a chance to hug his beloved Aunt.

Siwan laughed as she pulled back, kissing her cheek and let the irritated 6-year-old hug the time-traveller. Seren crouched down to David’s height and pulled him into a tight.

“ _Rwy'n dy garu di_.” Seren said softly to him as she looked into his large ocean blue-grey eyes.

“ _Rwy'n dy garu di_.” He repeated back to her, pecking her lips lightly before pulling back completely and giving Mica a chance to hug the older woman.

Seren hugged her niece tightly as David went to Rose and hugged her. Seren let go of Mica and stood up as Adam pulled her into a hug before moving back.

“Okay, we’ve got to go now.” Seren said, hugging Mickey tightly and pulling back as she heard the TARDIS’ engines start up. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Rose said as she kissed Jackie’s cheek and stepped towards the TARDIS’ open doors.

The two women stood at he open doors and turned back to look at their mis-matched family as the Doctor stood in the doorway behind them.

“Always by each other,” Seren, the Doctor and Rose started.

“Always together,” Adam, Siwan, David and Rhiannon continued.

“Always and forever.” Mickey, Johnny and Jackie finished.

“Bye.” Rose said, waving as she entered the TARDIS, the Doctor heading back to the console once the farewell had been said.

Rose dropped her rucksack and jacket at the edge of the console platform and smiled, taking in the sight of the console room. This was the first time she was seeing it when there wasn’t an underlying current of tension, sorrow and fear permeating the air.

“Bye.” Seren said, blowing a kiss to her loved ones.

They returned the farewell, waving as she turned around and entered the TARDIS, closing the door behind her. There was a bounce in her step and a radiant smile on her face as she walked up to the console, Idris humming joyously at the back of her mind.

The Doctor looked at her across the console and they beamed at each other as he pulled a lever with extra vigor. Seren joined him at the console, both operating the controls in unison as they flew through the Vortex. Rose sat on the jump seat and stayed out of the way as she watched them with interested eyes.

“So, where are we going?” She asked the two of them.

Seren turned to the Doctor with a raised eyebrow, a small smile on her face.

“Further than we’ve ever gone before.” He replied, looking at Rose with a grin.

She grinned back as Seren glanced up at the Time Rotor before looking back at the panel she was standing at, flicking another switch. She didn’t notice Rose’s gaze lingering on the Time Lord after he turned back to the console to pilot them through the Vortex.

When they re-materialized, the Doctor and Seren exchanged looks before turning to Rose.

“Why don’t you be the first one outside?” The Doctor asked her with a grin.

Rose smiled excitedly and ran to the door, pausing hesitantly before opening the door and stepping out. She gasped as the strong breeze blew through her air, brining with it the scent of apples. Seren and the Doctor stepped out behind her, watching with matching smiles as Rose’s jaw dropped in amazement at the sight of the futuristic city in front of them.

“It’s the year 5 billion and twenty-three.” The Doctor said as he closed the door behind him and stepped up beside Rose, with Seren standing between the two of them. “We’re in the galaxy M87 and this… this is New Earth.”

They looked out at the futuristic city that loomed on the horizon, across a massive river. They watched as flying vehicles zoomed past them, heading towards and away from the city.

“It’s just…” Rose started, trailing off. She tried again several seconds later, “That’s just…” She trailed off once more and burst out laughing in wonder and amazement.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.” The Doctor said with a grin, nodding.

“That’s amazing.” Rose breathed.

“I know.” Seren said, beaming. “I’ll never get used to this.”

She smiled brightly at the Doctor and he smiled back, just as brightly. Rose began jumping up and down excitedly, a wide grin on her face.

“Different ground beneath my feet!” She exclaimed as Seren and the Doctor laughed. “Different sky…!” She took a breath and frowned slightly, “What’s that smell?”

The Doctor bent down and plucked a few blades of grass and held them in his hand.

“Apple grass.” He replied, straightening up.

“Apple grass…!” Rose exclaimed.

“Yeah, yeah!” The Doctor said, beaming at her.

Seren laughed happily, happy she could share the incredible adventure with her dearest god-sister. She couldn’t wait for the time when Siwan, Mickey and the others would be willing to see the wonders as well, and she would be able to share the experience with them as well.

“It’s so beautiful.” Seren said, looking at the sky and missing him turn to look at her with a gentle expression on his face, his eyes filled with love. She turned back to him. “I love this, travelling with you. Seeing all these new and exciting things, exploring and discovering.” She looped her arm through his. “I love it. Thank you for showing me.”

“You’re welcome.” He replied, smiling back at her. “And I love it too.”

He unlinked their arms and instead, reached for her hand, pulling her along. She shrieked at the sudden tug as they dashed off across the field they had landed in.

“Come on!” The Doctor yelled back to Rose, who ran after them laughing.

They ran a few feet before stopping and the Doctor spread his long tan coat on the ground.

“My Lady.” He said with a grin, holding his hand out to Seren.

“Thank you, kind sir.” Seren said with slight laugh as she took his hand and sat down on the coat.

Rose and the Doctor sprawled down beside her, the Time Lord right next to her with the blonde on his other side.

“So, the year 5 billion - the Sun expands, the Earth gets roasted.” The Doctor said as the two women looked out at the city as the flying cars zoomed overhead.

“Our first date.” Seren said with a smile, looking at him.

“We had chips, and you delivered a royal baby!” The Doctor added happily, shifting his head slightly so that it rested on her lap. The two of them giggled at the memory. “So, anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust. But the Human Race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up, oh yeah, they get all nostalgic – big revival movement. They find this place!” He sat up slightly so that he could have a better view of the city, leaning against Seren as she looked out over his head. “Same size as the Earth… same air… sae orbit… lovely! Call goes out, humans move in!”

“What’s the city called?” Rose asked curiously.

“New New York.” The Doctor replied.

“New New York?” Seren repeated, looking at him a raised eyebrow,

“Oh, come on.” Rose scoffed disbelievingly.

“It is! It’s the City of New New York!” The Doctor exclaimed, looking at the two, having to shift so that he could see Seren since she was behind him. He paused for a moment, contemplating before adding, “Strictly speaking, it’s the 15th New York since the original. So that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York.” Seren looked at him, pondering the differences between the current incarnation and the previous incarnation of the man. He looked at her and saw her expression. “What?”

“You’re so different from your previous incarnation.” Seren replied softly, looking at him.

“New New Doctor.” He said with a smile.

“Yeah.” Seren sighed, a small smile on her face as a hint of regret and guilt shadowed her eyes for a moment before fading away.

“Can we go and visit New New York — so good they named it twice?” Rose asked as she started to get up.

The Doctor and Seren looked at each other and nodded in response, getting up as well.

“Well, I thought we might go there first.” The Doctor said, nodding towards an elegant pair of curved skyscrapers standing in the distance, on their side of the river, that had a green moon symbol on the side.

“Why? What is it?" Rose asked, looking at the tall buildings as Seren helped the Doctor get his coat on, the man struggling because of the strong wind.

“Some sort of hospital.” Seren replied before the Doctor could.

Rose looked at her in surprise that she knew while the Doctor looked at her with pride.

“And how do you know that is what it is?” The Doctor quizzed her as she straightened out his coat on his shoulders.

“The green moon on the side.” Seren replied with a slightly nervous smile, looking up at him. “It’s the universal symbol for hospitals.”

“Correct.” The Doctor said, beaming at her.

“Yay! I got it!” Seren exclaimed happily.

“How did you know that?” Rose asked, looking at her ecstatic god-sister in confusion as they headed towards the hospital.

“Idris is always giving me books to read.” Seren replied, her and the Doctor hand-in-hand with Rose walking beside the Welshwoman.

“And you love to read.” Rose said, nodding her understanding. She turned to the Doctor, asking, “So, why are we going to the hospital?”

“I got this.” He said, stopping and pulling his psychic paper bill-fold out of his suit pocket with his free hand, showing it to Rose. Since Seren couldn’t read it, he explained, “A message on the psychic paper. Someone wants to Seren and I.”

“Oh, and I thought we were just sightseeing.”  Rose said as the Doctor tucked the bill-fold back into his pocket. “Come on, then. Let’s go and buy some grapes.”

She looped her arm through his free one as they continued walking towards the hospital.

“As long as they’re not green grapes.” Seren said, pulling a face. “They are so weird.”

Rose giggled and leaned in close to the Doctor.

“Seren hates green grapes.” She commented to him before turning to the Welshwoman and asking, “Which other ones do you not like?”

“Pears.” Seren replied. “Though that’s because I’m allergic to them. And even still, they are completely gross and useless. Who actually likes them?”

“I completely agree with you, Seren Rhosyn.” The Doctor said, grinning at her as he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. “What fruits _do_ you like?”

“Strawberries.” Seren replied promptly as they stopped at a cashpoint to get credits. “Any kind of berry, actually.” She looked at him as he pocketed the credit chip and they resumed their walk. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” He replied nonchalantly.

Seren shrugged as he wrapped his arm around her waist once more, Rose looping her arm through his free one. They stopped at a fruit stall and Rose purchased a packet of grapes, munching on them as they made their way to the hospital.

Seren wrinkled her nose daintily at the green grapes, the vendor being out of purple grapes at the time.

“Hey, these are good.” Rose said, seeing the distaste on her god-sister’s face.

“I didn’t say anything.” Seren said, raising one hand in surrender, the other hand holding her purse on her shoulder.

“You didn’t have to. It’s clear on your face.” Rose said, slightly petulant.

“Okay, you enjoy your green grapes, and I will minimize my outward distaste. Deal?” Seren asked her, not wanting to upset the younger woman and darken her first trip to the future.

“Deal!” Rose said happily as she resumed munching on her grapes, though not quite so obviously.

The Doctor laughed at the two of them, utterly amused by their interactions.

“Do you know who wants to see us?” Seren asked after a few minutes.

“No idea.” The Doctor replied, shrugging slightly. “And I don’t know why it had to be at a hospital.”

“What’s wrong with hospitals?” Rose asked confused.

“He doesn’t like hospitals.” Seren said, rolling her eyes at the tall Time Lord.

“That’s a bit rich.” Rose commented as they entered the futuristic building.

“I can’t help it!” He exclaimed. “I don’t like hospitals – they give me the creeps!”

 _“The Pleasure Gardens will now take visitors carrying green or blue identification cards for the next 15 minutes. Visitors are reminded that cuttings from the gardens are not permitted.”_   They heard the announcement over the PA system as they walked through the reception area.

“Very smart.” Seren commented, looking around. “Not exactly NHS though.”

“No shop.” The Doctor commented with a slight pout. “I like the little shop.”

“I thought this far in the future, they’d have a cure for everything.” Rose commented, an expression of wonder still on her face as the Doctor and Seren walked ahead of her slightly.

“If the human race can move, then so can the viruses.” Seren commented.  “We see it all the time in our time, Rose. Viruses mutate and change.”

“Exactly. It’s an ongoing war.” The Doctor added.

Rose’s eyes widened when she caught sight of the nursing staff’s facial features – cats with their nun-like wimples and habits. A cat nurse walked past the blonde and nodded politely.

“They’re cats.” Rose hissed to the pair, pointing to the retreating nun, as they walked up to her once more.

“Rose, it’s rude to point and stare.” Seren scolded her lightly, gently pushing the blonde’ arm back down.

“Now, don’t stare.” The Doctor admonished gently. “Think what you look like to them – all…” He looked the blonde up and down.” “Pink and yellow.” He turned to Seren, his arm still around her waist. “All raven blue and gold.” He pointed to an alcove behind Rose as the blonde glared at him. “That’s where I’d put the shop. Right there.”

Rose looked back at the cats as Seren and the Doctor walked into the lift.

“Ward 26, thanks!” The Doctor called as the doors began to close.

“Hold on! Hold on!” Rose yelled, startled out of her surprise as she ran to the lift.

The doors sealed closed just before she reached them.

“Too late! We’re going up!” The Doctor yelled through the doors as they ascended.

“It’s all right, there’s another lift!” Rose yelled to them.

“Ward 26!” Seren yelled in reminder.

“And watch out for the disinfectant!” The Doctor added.

Seren looked at him in confusion.

“Watch out for what?” Rose yelled, finding it harder to hear as the lift got higher.

“The disinfectant!” The Doctor yelled.

“The what?” Rose yelled.

“She’ll find out.” Seren said calmly, putting a hand on his arm before he could yell again, and likely burst her eardrums in the process.

He nodded in agreement as an automatic voice announced _“Commence Stage One – Disinfection.”_

The green lights in the roof of the lift flashed on as they were soaked in a shower of disinfectant. Seren jolted slightly in surprise at the sudden shower while the Doctor grinned at her, completely calm.

Seren laughed as he ran his hands through his hair as though he were taking an ordinary shower. The shower spray turned off and the pair were puffed with white powder. A blow-dryer engaged as the final step, the powerful wave of heat coming at them from all sides as it dried them completely.

The Doctor was enjoying the experience immensely, a wide smile on his face as he held his coat open to dry. Seren laughed, running her hands through her curls to help them dry properly.

As they stepped out of the lift on Ward 26, the Doctor straightened her headband while she ran her fingers through his thick hair and combed it back into its previous style.

A veiled nurse walked up to them as they walked towards the Ward, hand-in-hand.

“How may I help you?” The nurse asked.

“We’re here to visit someone in Ward 26.” The Doctor replied.

“Who, may I ask, are you visiting?” The nurse asked, polite yet cautious.

“Uh… we don’t really know.” Seren replied sheepishly.

“We got a message saying that a friend of ours was here, but we didn’t get the name.” The Doctor added, a wide grin on his face.

“Very well. This way, please.” The nurse said, turning and leading them into the Ward.

“Nice place.” The Doctor commented to the nurse, looking around as they entered the Ward and stopped near the entrance. “No shop downstairs - I'd have a shop. Not a big one. Just a shop, so people can shop.”

The nurse removed her veil, a surprised look on her feline features.

“The hospital is a place of healing.” The nurse said, the same surprise in her voice.

“A shop does some people the world of good.” The Doctor remarked as Seren rolled her eyes. “Not me, other people…” He trailed off as they began walking through the Ward.

“The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help, and to mend.” The nurse explained as they passed a completely red man in an open cubicle.

They passed another cubicle on the opposite side, this one occupied by an elaborately robed and rather well-fed man who seemed to be turning to stone. By his side stood a stern looking woman, dressed primly.

“Excuse me!” The stern woman exclaimed indignantly, moving from the bedside and coming to stand in front of the trio. “Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York.”

“That’s Petrifold Regression, isn’t it?” Seren said with a slight frown, glancing at the Duke before looking at the Doctor and the nurse. “I remember reading about it in one of the medical texts.”

“I’m dying, Ma’am.” The man said tiredly. “A lifetime of charity and abstinence, and it ends like this.”

“Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance.” The prime woman said sternly.

“Frau Clovis!” The Duke gasped. The woman turned and returned to his bedside, taking his hand, as Seren and the Doctor looked on, the nurse looking away. “I’m so weak.”

“Sister Jatt!” Frau Clovis snapped outraged, causing the nurse to look at her. “A little privacy, please!”

The nurse gently nudged the Doctor and Seren away from the Duke’s cubicle.

“He’ll be up and about in no time.” Sister Jatt said reassuringly.

“Petrifold Regression - he’s turning to stone.” Seren said as the Doctor nodded.

“Yeah, there won’t be a cure for… oh… a thousand years?” He added, scratching the back of his head. “He might be up and about, but only as a statue.”

“Have faith in the Sisterhood.” Sister Jatt told them reassuringly. “But is there no one here you recognise?” She gestured around the Ward as the pair looked around. “It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient.”

Seren’s eyes widened in surprise when she caught sight of three beings by the picture window at the end of the Ward – an elaborately dressed male and female sitting on the floor by a large face in a glass container. Standing beside the container with her back to them was another nurse, checking the medications that were hanging on a rack.

“Djet! Merneith!” Seren exclaimed, running to them.

“No, I think we found them.” The Doctor said, his gaze following Seren as a gentle smile crossed his face.

“Seren!” Merneith exclaimed, standing up and drawing the time traveller into a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you again!”

“Indeed it is.” Djet said with a gentle smile as he stood up as well.

Queen Merneith was dressed in a pink and white floor-length spaghetti strapped, bell-sleeved dress*, with her raven-blue hair tied up in an elegant bun at the back of her head, a small necklace, earring and head-piece jewellery set and minimal makeup* highlighting her natural radiance and her sapphire blue eyes. Like the last time they had met, the lower half of the Queen’s face was covered by a small sheer pink and gold veil, the gold jewelled string hanging over the back of her ears. On her tiny feet, she wore jewelled pink and gold 6” high heeled sandals, giving her 5’1 frame some added height. Pharaoh Djet was wearing an ankle-length white tunic with a gold neck-plate embedded with blue stones and jewels, a dark blue bell-sleeved robe over top, a gold bracelet on each hand and soft leather boots on his feet*. His long ink black hair was held back in a half-pony, the long locks reaching his elbows, and his eyes were heavily lined with kohl. Unlike the last time they had met, neither were wearing their crowns, though they did not need them to project their aura of royalty and grace.

 “Novice Hame, if I can leave these two in your care.” Sister Jatt asked as she led him to the patient.

The nurse, Novice Hame, turned to look at them and nodded respectfully.

“Oh, I think my friend got lost - Rose Tyler. Could you ask at reception?” The Doctor asked Sister Jatt.

“Certainly, sir.” The nurse replied before walking away.

Seren let go of the Queen and turned to the being in the glass container, crouching in front of him with her hand on the glass. The Doctor turned and greeted Merneith and Djet with a happy smile, the royals hugging him tightly before letting go.

“I’m afraid the Face of Boe is asleep. That’s all he tends to do these days.” Novice Hame told them softly, looking down at the woman crouched in front of the tank with slight surprise. She wondered how the couple knew the Royal Family of the New Egyptian Empire. “Are you both friends?”

“Very good friends.” Seren replied, looking up at the nurse. “We met last on Platform One. What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s dying Seren.” Merneith said softly.

“Of what?” Seren asked, her large gold-rimmed purple eyes widening in horror.

“Old age.” Novice Hame replied softly. “The one thing we can’t cure. He's thousands of years old. Some people say millions, although that's impossible.”

“Oh, I don't know. I like impossible.” The Doctor told her with a smile before crouching next to Seren, putting his hand on the glass next to hers. “I'm here. I look a bit different, but it's me, it's the Doctor.”

The Face of Boe let out a rumbling sigh as he slept. After some time, the Face of Boe still asleep, the two time-travellers stood up.

“I wanted to ask, how’s the baby?” Seren asked Merneith and Djet, the two royals having stayed silent. “The one who was born on Platform One.”

“He is well.” Merneith replied as the Doctor and Djet walked away quietly. “No longer a baby.”

“What did you name him?” Seren asked curiously as the two women sat back down on the floor, waving away the chairs that a nurse brought to them.

“Asar.” Merneith replied.

“That’s beautiful.” Seren said softly. “How old is he now? 22? 23?”

“He’s 22.” Merneith replied. “You might meet him while you’re here. He’s currently on holidays from his studies and in the city with a friend.”

“Friend?” Seren repeated with a raised eyebrow, the way Merneith said ‘friend’ implied that something more may be between her son and the other person. “And what’s he studying?”

“Asar is adamant that the two of them are friends, however his father, myself and just about everyone else believes otherwise.” Merneith said, her eyes sparkling with amusement at her son’s antics. “And he is studying Galactic Law and Political Sciences.”

“Nice.” Seren said, impressed. “I’ve read a little about the two fields, they are incredibly heavy.”

Merneith nodded in agreement, the pride in her son evident in her sparkling sapphire blue eyes.

_“Hope, harmony and health. Hope, harmony and health.”_

“So, I take it this is Rose’s first visit to the future?” Merneith asked as the Doctor and Djet returned with cups of water.

“Yes, it is.” The Doctor replied as he handed a cup to Seren and another to Novice Hame. Djet handed a cup to Merneith before sitting down next to her, the woman shifting slightly so that she leaned against him.

“That’s very kind, there’s no need.” Novice Hame said softly, accepting the cup.

“You’re the one working.” The Doctor said as he stood by the window and looked out.

“There's not much to do, just maintain his smoke.” Novice Hame said honestly, pausing for a moment before adding, “And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes, in my mind… such ancient songs.” She trailed off wistfully.

“Are we the only visitors?” Seren asked her as the Doctor turned around and looked at the nurse as well.

“Aside from their Majesties and their children, yes.” Novice Hame replied, gesturing to the couple on the floor. “The rest of Boe-kind became extinct long ago. He’s the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the Universe grow old.” Seren, the Doctor, Merneith and Djet smiled slightly as Novice Hame continued excitedly. “There’s all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret. That he will speak those words only to the ones like himself.”

“What does that mean?” Seren asked, looking between Novice Hame, Merneith and Djet.

“It’s just a story.” Novice Hame said with a slight shrug.

“Tell us the rest.” The Doctor told her.

“Please.” Seren added, throwing a glare at the Time Lord for his lack of basic manners.

Seeing the glare, Merneith and Djet had to bite back the urge to laugh.

“It is said that he’ll talk to the wanderers. To the man and woman without a home. The lonely God and the Star.” Novice Hame said.

Seren glanced at the Doctor, recognizing themselves in the story. They looked back at the sleeping Face of Boe for a moment before Seren looked around the Ward with a frown.

“What is it, Seren?” Merneith asked, seeing the distracted look on the younger woman’s face.

“Where is Rose?” Seren asked, the question drawing the Doctor and Djet’s attention.

“Good question.” The Doctor muttered, looking around the Ward as well. “How long does it take to get to Ward 26?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he began walking towards the Ward Sister’s desk, calling over his shoulder, “I’m going to phone her. She’s got her mobile, right?”

“Yeah.” Seren replied, the worried frown still on her face.

“When does she _not_   have it?” Djet muttered to Merneith, though Seren heard the comment and frowned slightly.

“How do you know about Rose?” Seren asked, turning to look at them. “I get knowing myself and the Doctor, what with the two of us travelling, but how would you know Rose?” She paused for a moment, remembering what they had told her back on Platform One. “You’re not just people who are important to me, you are important to her as well.”

“Indeed we are.” Djet replied with knowing grin on his face.

“Asar! Liam!” Merneith exclaimed, looking behind Seren towards the Ward entrance.

“Mother, Father!” A young male voice called back.

Seren whirled around and watched in amazement as a young man hurried across the Ward toward the two Royals. Behind him was another man, much taller than the first.

The first man, Asar, stood at 5’4 and had his mother’s raven-blue hair, reaching his waist in loose and unbound slight curls, his father’s multi-coloured eyes though with Merneith’s doe-shape. The rest of his features were identical to Merneith - the snow-white skin, the arched eyebrows, the button nose, cupid bow lips and the trim, lightly muscled figure.

Instead of wearing Egyptian clothing like his parents, the young prince was dressed in dark wash dark grey denim jeans, a light blue-grey button-down shirt with the top few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a grey vest and black Doc Martin shoes. He had a dark brown leather messenger bag slung over his chest and a massive textbook under his arm.

The male behind him, this one standing at 6’6 and well-muscled with closely cropped spiky red hair and light green eyes, was wearing a black long-sleeved sweater top that formed around his well-defined form, dark grey trousers and black shoes. He walked half-a-step behind the Prince, constantly glancing around and watching for any danger or harm that may befall his charge.

“I’m guessing that Liam is Asar’s bodyguard.” Seren stated more than asked as she watched the two men approach them.

“That would be true.” Djet said with a smirk. “And if you’re thinking that Liam is in love with Asar, it would be a correct assumption as well.”

“Let me guess, Asar has no idea.” Seren asked knowingly.

“No he does not.” Merneith said.

“Mother, Father.” Asar said, bowing slightly at the two before being pulled into a hug by his parents.

“Your Majesties.” Liam said, bowing respectfully at the royal couple once they had separated from their son.

“Liam, you know you don’t have to stand on ceremony with us.” Merneith said in a tone that implied having told the man the same thing repeatedly.

“I tell him that all the time.” Asar said cheerfully. “It’s one of the only times he doesn’t listen to me.” His gaze fell on Seren and his eyes widened. “Oh my Gods, you’re -”

“Seren Jones.” Merneith finished with a smile, a hint of warning in her eyes cautioning her son to be careful on what he said. “She is the one who delivered you on Platform One.”

“Way too much information, Mother.” Asar said with a slight shiver, causing the small group to laugh lightly at his reaction. “Anyway, Auntie Seren’s here, this mean Uncle Doctor’s here to?”

“Yeah, he’s at the ward Sister’s desk trying to get in touch with my god-sister.” Seren replied gesturing towards the Time Lord, a slightly raised eyebrow at the way her and the Doctor had been addressed – only Mica and David called the Time Lord ‘Uncle’, as her niece and nephew had firmly adopted the alien into the family long before Jackie was able to.

Before anyone else could say anything, they were drawn to the sound of laughter coming from the Duke of Manhattan’s cubicle. Seren, Merneith and Djet exchanged looks – the man was in pain and turning to stone, how could it be a laughing matter?

Seren walked over to the cubicle, joined by the Doctor. Seren’s eyes widened when she saw that he had been completely cured, and was currently drinking champagne with Frau Clovis.

“Didn’t think I was going to make it!” The Duke chuckled as Seren and the Doctor stepped into view. “It’s that couple again!” He exclaimed and the pair smiled, slightly exasperated at being called a couple again. The Doctor scratched his ear absent-mindedly. “They’re my good luck charm! Come in! Don’t be shy!”

Seren and the Doctor looked at each other and shrugged, stepping into the cubicle.

“Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan does not constitute a form of legal contract.” Frau Clovis told them sternly, though there was a smile on her face.

Seren and the Doctor nodded in understanding as Asar, who had come to the cubicle with them, rolled his eyes. Liam was still standing by the Pharaoh and the Queen, though his gaze was on the Prince and his surrounding, keeping a keen eye on his charge.

“We _know_ , Frau Clovis.” The Prince said exasperatedly.

“Winch me up.” The Duke ordered Frau Clovis, giving Seren and the Doctor a thumbs up. Frau Clovis pressed a button on the remote in her hand, tilting the bed forward slightly. “Up! Look at me. No sign of infection.” The Duke exclaimed as soon as he could see them properly.

“Champagne, sir? Miss? Your Highness?” A waiter asked them, holding the tray out to them.

“No thanks.” The Doctor said as Seren and Asar shook their heads. They turned back to the Duke as the waiter walked away. “Uh… you had Petrifold Regression, right?”

”‘Had’ being the operative word. Past tense!” The Duke said happily as he and Frau Clovis smiled brightly. “Completely cured.”

“That’s great, Mr. Duke.” Asar said cheerfully, a bright smile on his face as he looked at the jovial man.

“But that’s impossible.” The Doctor exclaimed in surprise as a cat-nurse walked up behind them.

“He’s right.” Asar said, his cheerful expression fading and replaced with one of confusion.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say that there wasn’t a cure for at least another thousand years?” Seren asked, turning to the Doctor.

“Primitive species would accuse us of magic, but it's merely the tender application of science.” The nurse said before the Doctor could answer Seren’s question.

Seren, the Doctor and Asar turned to her, Liam, Merneith and Djet watching from a few feet away and listening to what was being said.

“How on Earth did you cure him?” The Doctor asked the nurse.

“How on _New_ Earth, you might say.” She stated with a smile, repeating his words back to him with the mild correction.

“What’s in that solution?” The Doctor asked, nodding to the orange and navy blue drip bags.

“A simple remedy.” The nurse replied.

“Then tell me what it is.” The Doctor challenged her.

“I’m sorry – patient confidentiality.” The nurse said, shaking her head apologetically. “I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Matron Casp.”

“I’m the Doctor and this is Seren.” The Doctor replied, motioning to Seren when he said her name.

“And I’m Asar.” Asar said cheerfully, waving at the Matron.

“Yes, Your Highness. I remember you.” Matron Casp said to the Prince coolly, the tone causing Seren to frown slightly as Asar grinned. The Matron turned to the Doctor, saying, “I think you’ll find that _we’re_ the doctors here.”

Sister Jatt walked up to the Matron.

“Matron Casp, you’re needed in Intensive Care.” Sister Jatt said.

“If you’d excuse me.” Matron Casp said to the three of them.

They nodded and watched as the two cat-nuns walked away. Once the two nuns were out of sight, Seren whirled around and turned to Asar, who was still smiling cheekily.

“What did she mean that she remembered you?” Seren asked curiously.

“I may have gotten a little inventive a few years ago.” Asar said, fighting back a full-blown grin.

“What he’s not saying is that he caused a fire in the hospital kitchens, while trying to make _tea_.” Merneith said, looking at her son reproachfully.

“You what?!” Seren and the Doctor exclaimed in shock, staring at the young Prince with wide eyes.

“Yes, he has his father’s skill in the kitchen.” Merneith commented. “And when I say ‘skill’, I mean ‘lack thereof’.”

“I blow one room up and you never let it go!” Djet exclaimed in exasperation.

The comment had Merneith, Asar and Liam looking at him as though he had grown a second head.

“Dad, you’re the reason we have fifteen kitchens at the Palace.” Asar said in complete deadpan.

“By the time you manage to blow up the fifteenth one, the first one has finished being reconstructed.” Liam added, showing a rarely seen carefree side of himself.

“Okay, so it was one room that gets blown up repeatedly.” Djet amended, raising his hands in surrender as Merneith rolled her eyes.

 _“Ambient temperature stands at fourteen degrees. This temperature is designed to promote healing and well-being.”_ The voice over the PA system announced.

The Doctor pulled out his glasses and put them on, he and Seren left the small family and began walking around the cubicles, looking in on the patients. Seren looked at the door when she caught sight of Rose entering the Ward.

She moved to walk towards the blonde, only to stop short and stare at her – something wasn’t right about Rose, something was off.

“There you are!” The Doctor exclaimed, reaching out and taking the blonde’s arm before Seren could tell him what she had sensed. “Come and look at this patient!” He took Seren’s arm with his free hand and they stopped in front of a cubicle containing a red-skinned male floating in mid-air. “Marconi’s Disease. Should take years to recover. Two days. I’ve never seen anything like it. They’ve invented a cell-washing cascade, it’s amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one.” He turned around and led them to a cubicle across from the red-skinned patient. The male patient was white as his bed-gown. “Palladome Pancrosis.”

“That’s is supposed to kill the patient in 10 minutes.” Seren said with a frown.

“Exactly. And he’s fine.” The Doctor agreed nodding as he turned and waved cheerfully at the patient. The Time Lord turned back to the two god-sisters, saying quietly, “I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this.” The Doctor and Seren walked out of the Ward, Rose following close behind them. “Because if they've got the best medicine in the world, then why is it such a secret?”

“I can’t Adam and Eve it.” Rose said, stopping in her tracks.

“Okay, what is with your voice?” Seren asked, completely confused.

Rose ignored her and stared up at the Doctor who had the same confused expression on his face.

“Oh, I don’t know, just larking about. New Earth… new me.” Rose said, looking the handsome Time Lord up and down with a slight sigh.

Seren cocked her head to the side in confusion, wondering what had gotten into Rose and if it had anything to do with the strange feeling she was getting from the blonde.

“Well, I can talk – new new Doctor.” The Doctor said with a grin.

“Mmm, aren't you just.” Rose muttered to herself.

She suddenly grabbed his face and pulled him towards her, kissing him long and hard. Seren’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped, a pang of pure pain shooting through her heart at the sight. She covered her mouth with her hand, using it to stifle the gasp that threated to escape her red lips. They kissed for several seconds before Rose pulled away, completely breathless while the Doctor looked absolutely shocked.

“T-terminal’s this way.” Rose stammered breathlessly, walking off and exhaling slightly.

Seren stared at the Doctor for a moment, hurt swimming in her expressive eyes before turning to follow Rose.

“Seren Rhosyn!” The Doctor called, grabbing her hand and stopping her before she could go any further than a few steps. She looked at the hand holding her arm for a moment before looking up at the man she loved. “It’s not what you think.” He said earnestly. “That kiss didn’t mean anything. I don’t know why she did it.”

“It’s fine.” Seren said, looking up at him with her mask firmly in place to prevent him from seeing her pain. “We’re friends, right? You can kiss whomever you wish.”

She twisted her wrist slightly and slipped out of his suddenly slacked grip and went off after Rose, the Doctor standing where he was and watching her go.

“I’m in love with _you_ , Seren.” He whispered quietly to her retreating back. “It’s _you_ that I want to kiss, not Rose.”

He sighed and rubbed his face before going after her, hoping he would get the chance to tell her what she really meant to him. He caught up with the two women in the waiting room, Seren already looking at the terminal with Rose leaning against the wall beside the terminal.

“Nothing odd.” Seren said as he walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder. “Surgery, post-op, nano-dentistry, the usual departments. They’re all there.”

“No sign of a shop.” The Doctor muttered. “They should have a shop.”

“No, it’s missing something else.” Rose said, waking around them to look at the screen. “When I was downstairs, those Nurse – Cat – Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it…?”

Seren and the Doctor exchanged looks behind Rose’s back, the Doctor also realizing that something was strange about the blonde.

“You’re right, well done.” Seren said, managing to keep her voice steady.

“Why would they hide a whole department?” Rose asked quietly, looking intently at the screen. The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. “It’s got to be there somewhere. Search the sub-frame.”

“What if the sub-frame’s locked?” Seren asked, wanting to see what reply Rose would give.

“Try the installation protocol.” Rose replied, exasperated at having to spell it out.

“Yeah, course. Sorry. Hold on.” The Doctor said, holding the screwdriver to the screen and scanning it.

He clicked the screwdriver off and they stepped back, watching as the entire wall slid down to reveal a corridor. Rose smiled satisfactorily and walked right in to the corridor while the Doctor and Seren looked at it for a moment longer.

“Intensive Care.” The Doctor muttered as they walked into the corridor behind the blonde. “Certainly looks intensive.”

“Tell me about it.” Seren muttered, shuddering slightly at the sudden influx of fear, pain and sorrow.

“What’s wrong?” The Doctor asked her, seeing the shudder.

“I don’t know.” She replied, putting her arms around herself. “I suddenly feel so much pain, fear and sorrow.” She frowned as she tried to explain the feelings she was picking up. He put his arm around her and she leaned into the comforting embrace. “I feel this sort of desperation, this desire – to be touched, to be held.” She looked up at him, her eyes swimming with tears. “I don’t understand it. I’ve never felt that before. These aren’t my emotions.”

“Your Empathic ability is telling you something.” The Doctor said softly.

“What is it telling me?”

“I don’t know.”

Before he could say anything else, they reached the end of the corridor and Rose led them several flights of metal stairs until they reached a huge cavernous chamber. The walls were lined with rows upon rows of green doors. They walked along one of the rows before stopping in front of one of the doors. The Doctor let go of Seren and opened the door with his sonic screwdriver.

Seren gasped at the sight of the man inside, looking at them, surrounded by smoke and covered in boils. She stumbled back slightly, the feelings she had been sensing having increased the moment the Doctor opened the door.

“That’s disgusting.” Rose muttered in disgust. “What’s wrong with him?”

Seren looked at Rose in disgust, wondering what happened to the compassionate woman she grew up with, the woman she had helped Jackie raise. Rose may be somewhat self-absorbed at times, but she was still compassionate and caring.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The Doctor told the man sadly, a horrified expression on his face.

He closed the door gently and Seren breathed a sigh of relief as the feelings she was picking up became muted once more. The Doctor glanced at her with worry before going to the next pod and opening the door.

This time, Seren was prepared for the emotions, but she wasn’t prepared for the sight of the woman inside gazing at them sadly.

“What disease _is_ that?” Rose asked, looking at the infected woman with shock and disgust.

“All of them.” The Doctor replied quietly. “Every disease in the galaxy.”

“You mean they’ve been infected with everything?” Seren asked in horrified shock, her own emotions overriding those she was feeling from the people in the pods.

“Yes.” The Doctor replied quietly, the disgust clear on his face.

“What about us?” Rose asked. “Are we safe?”

“The air’s sterile. Just don’t touch them.” The Doctor replied, shutting the door gently and once more muting the emotions Seren was picking up.

The two of them leaned over the railing and looked out at the countless rows that surrounded the cavern. Seren took his hand in her tiny one, holding it reassuringly.

“How many patients are there?” Rose asked in an almost calculating voice.

“They’re not patients.” Seren replied.

“But they’re sick.” Rose protested.

“They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick.” The Doctor spat angrily, his hand in Seren’s the only thing keeping him from losing control of his anger completely. “Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory - a human farm!”

“Why don’t they just die?” Rose asked as they began walking along the rows.

“Plague carriers are always the last to go.” Seren told her softly, still hand-in-hand with the Doctor.

“It’s for the greater cause.” They heard a voice say.

They spun around towards the sound and spotted Novice Hame coming towards them.

“Novice Hame.” The Doctor said in quiet anger as they stepped towards her. “When you took your vows, did you agree to this?”

“The Sisterhood has sworn to help.” Novice Hame told them gently.

“What, by killing?” The Doctor shouted angrily.

Seren reached up and put her free hand on his shoulder calmingly, the same anger coursing through her as she looked at the nurse.

“But, they’re not real people. They’re specially grown. They have no proper existence.” Novice Hame told the furious man gently.

It was then that Seren realized that the nuns didn’t realize that the people they had grown for the laboratory had evolved over time, that they _were_ people, that they _were_ alive, with emotions and feelings just like everyone else.

“What's the turnover, hmm?” The Doctor asked her quietly as they slowly walked towards the nurse. “Thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousands? For how many years? HOW MANY!”

At the shout, Rose jumped slightly as Seren squeezed his hand gently in a calming gesture.

“Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow, so the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh.” Novice Hame explained, her tone still gentle.

“These people are alive.” Seren hissed, looking at the nurse with disgust on her beautiful features.

“But think of those Humans out there, healthy and happy, because of us.” Novice Hame said, looking at the Welshwoman that looked almost identical to the Queen of the New Egyptian Empire.

“If they’re alive because of this, then life is worthless.” Seren said, shaking her head.

“But who are you to decide that?” Novice Hame asked, looking at the two of them.

“I’m the Doctor and she’s the Chosen One of the Mara.” The Doctor replied as he and Seren stepped forward side-by-side and exuding an aura of power. “And if you don’t like it… if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn’t one. It stops with us.”

“Just to confirm. None of the humans in the city actually know about this?” Rose asked, peering over Seren’s shoulder to look at the nun.

“We thought it best not.” Novice Hame replied gently.

“Hold on a moment. I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows.” Seren said to Novice Hame, her gold-rimmed amethyst eyes flashing with barely controlled fury. “One thing I can't understand - what have you done to my god-sister?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Novice Hame said in confusion.

"I'm being very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very calm is because the brain is very delicate. Whatever you've done to my god-sister's head, I want it reversed. Now." Seren hissed in a deadly quiet voice.

“We haven’t done anything.” Novice Hame insisted.

The repeated insistence that the nuns had nothing to do with what happened to Rose, combined with the emotions Seren was periodically feeling from the plague carriers and her own exhaustion from the past week and a half due to very little sleep – courtesy of a colicky Mica - caused the beautiful Welshwoman to snap what little control she had left on her own emotions.

“Listen, you cat lady!” Seren hissed in a deathly quiet voice, stepping forward towards the nun with unbridled fury swimming in the depths of her gold-rimmed purple eyes. Novice Hame took an instinctive step back, wanting to distance herself from the furious woman. “I haven’t slept in days, I have a colicky baby who refuses to sleep unless she’s with myself and the Doctor. I am holding on to my temper with a very rapidly fraying thread. Now what the hell have you done to my god-sister?!”

Even though the Doctor had Time Lord physiology and required very little sleep, Mica refused to sleep unless _both_ Seren and the Doctor were with her, resulting in Seren getting very little sleep and running purely on adrenaline and caffeine.

“Seren, I’m perfectly fine.” Rose said to the Welshwoman.

Seren whirled around to face her, looking up into the hazel eyes.

“These people are dying.” Seren hissed, pointing towards the people in the pods. “Rose, my Rose, would have cared. Self-absorbed as she may be, she would have cared about the people suffering in this unimaginable agony.”

Rose rolled her eyes and pouted.

“Oh all right, clevercogs.” She said.

“What’s happened to you?” Seren asked.

"I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed a body and a mind to find it out. I would have preferred yours but your god-sister worked alright." She replied.

“Who are you?” Seren demanded to know, glaring at the person using her god-sister’s body.

Rose moved over slightly and leaned down to whisper in the smaller woman’s ear.

“The Last Human.”

Seren jolted back with wide eyes, shock and horror warring on her features.

“Cassandra?!”

“Wake up and smell the perfume.” Rose said, taking a tube of perfume out from her shirt and spritzing Seren and the Doctor in their faces. Within seconds, the two collapsed, unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seren came to with a groan, hearing a frantic call coming from behind her.

“…ren! Seren!”

“I’m awake. Stop yelling.” She groaned, shaking her head.

She opened her eyes and frowned at the green glow that surrounded her. She looked up and frowned.

“Doctor?”

She shook her head, trying to clear the haze that had taken up residence. Slowly, the memories of what had happened filtered through her mind and her eyes widened in horror.

“Please don’t tell me we’re in a-” Seren started with a groan.

“ICU pod? Yeah we are.” The Doctor replied.

“Cassandra!” Seren yelled, banging on the door. “Cassandra, let us out!”

She had never been more grateful for her petite height, allowing her to be able to manoeuvre the small pod despite being crammed against the Doctor’s body with only enough room to stand.

“No need to shout. I’m right here.” Cassandra-Rose said as he blurry figure walked up to the pod. “Aren’t you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only. Though for the two of you, it might be a bit more snug.”

“Get out of her body, right now Cassandra!” Seren hissed dangerously.

“I’ve thought of a thousand ways to kill the both of you. Only to find out that you can’t die, Seren.” Rose sneered at her and looked up at the man behind the Welshwoman. “But you, Doctor, I’ve got one thousand diseases that could kill you. And you Seren,” Cassandra-Rose looked back down at the smaller woman. “The diseases may not kill you physically, but losing the man you love and your beloved god-sister whom you swore to protect. That will kill you emotionally and mentally. Oh yes, it works for me.” She looked back up at the Doctor. “They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about three minutes left. Enjoy.”

“Just let Rose go, Cassandra.” Seren pleaded.

"I will. As soon as I've found someone younger and… less common. Then I'll junk her with the waste. Now hushaby - it's showtime.”

“Cassandra! Come back here, Cassandra!” Seren yelled, banging on the door once more as Cassandra-Rose walked away.

She banged on the door once again for good measure and leaned back against the Doctor, letting out a frustrated breath.

“I get my hands on that woman, I am going to kick her arse.” Seren growled, blowing away a lock of her hair that had fallen in her face.

“You really need more sleep.” The Doctor commented looking down at the furious woman pressed against him. Seren opened her mouth to retort when he held up a hand. “Shh.”

Seren frowned and cocked her head to the side as they heard Cassandra-Rose’s voice as well as Sister Jatt and Matron Casp’s voices. Seren looked up at the Doctor in confusion as she strained her ears to hear what was happening outside their pod.

They heard Rose talk with the nurses, blackmailing them into giving her money – a one off payment and in return she wouldn’t tell the humans about the institutional murder being committed by the nuns.

“Oh, blackmailing them isn’t going to end well.” Seren muttered.

Sure enough, Matron Casp declined the deal and when Rose threatened to tell the humans, the cats revealed their claws. Seconds later, the door opened and the two of them stepped out, as did many of the dazed and plague carriers.

“What did you do?” Seren yelled to Cassandra-Rose as the blonde walked past them, Chip standing by a lever.

“Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just enough to wake ‘em up.” Cassandra-Rose replied. “See ya!” She ran off, Chip right behind her.

“Don’t touch them!” The Doctor yelled to the two nuns that were blocked off by the group of plague carriers. “Whatever you do, don’t touch!”

Seren and the Doctor ran after Cassandra-Rose, narrowly avoiding a plague carrier. Cassandra-Rose screamed as they ran for their lives, the doors opening and letting out their diseased occupants.

They skidded to a stop on a catwalk across the way and watched in abject horror as all the plague carriers were let free.

“Oh, my God!” Cassandra-Rose moaned at the sight.

“What the hell have you done?” The Doctor hissed.

“It wasn’t me!” Cassandra-Rose exclaimed indignantly.

“One touch and you get every disease in the world!” The Doctor exclaimed as several plague carriers advanced on them.

“Are you kidding me?!” Seren exclaimed, looking at him before whirling around and looking at Cassandra-Rose. “I want that body safe, Cassandra!”

“We’ve got to go down!” The Doctor yelled.

“But there’s thousands of them!” Rose whimpered in fear.

“RUN!” Seren yelled at her.

“Down! Down! Go Down!” The Doctor yelled as the plague carriers got closer to them.

Cassandra-Rose screamed and began running down the stairs, Chip behind her followed by Seren and the Doctor bringing up the rear. The plague carriers followed them as they descended the stairs, their arms outstretched.

 _“This building is under quarantine.”_ They heard the announcement over the PA system. _“Repeat. This building is under quarantine. No one may leave the premises. Repeat, no one may leave the premises.”_

“Keep going! Go down!” The Doctor yelled as they reached another flight of stairs.

They ran down another two flights of stairs, adrenaline pumping through them and keeping them moving, until they reached the lower most level. Cassandra-Rose led them through a door and into a cellar, running straight for the lift.

“No, the lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine - nothing's moving.” The Doctor told her as she tried to operate the lifts.

He and Seren came to a stop and looked around at their surroundings.

“This way!” Cassandra-Rose yelled, running past them and heading in another direction, Seren, The Doctor and Chip on her heels.

They had just run through a hole in the wall when Chip was cut off by a group of plague carriers.

“Oh-h!” Chip moaned, the sound stopping Seren and the Doctor in their tracks.

“Someone will touch him!” Seren yelled, turning and going back to help Chip.

“Leave him!” Cassandra-Rose yelled, grabbing Seren’s arm and tugging. “He’s just a clone thing, he’s only got a half-life. Come on!”

“Mistress!” Chip called pitifully as Cassandra-Rose ran off in the opposite direction from Chip.

Seren looked at the Doctor and raced after Cassandra-Rose, needing to keep the blonde in sight.

“I’m sorry, we can’t let her escape!” The Doctor yelled regretfully and turned, running after Seren and Cassandra-Rose.

They ran through the basement level of the building and into a room, the Doctor slamming the door shut behind them. Cassandra-Rose ran to the back door and opened it, only to scream and slam it shut when she caught sight of the plague carriers reaching out to her.

“We're trapped!” Cassandra-Rose exclaimed in a panic, turning around to look at Seren and the Doctor. “What am I going to do?”

The pair looked at her with seemingly calm expressions on their faces, their anger and fury burning deep within their hearts and seen through their eyes.

“Well, for starters, you’re going to leave that body.” The Doctor told the blonde.

He drew his sonic screwdriver and used it to gesture up at the large metal structure. Seren looked at it and her eyes widened as she recognized it.

“That’s a psychograft!” Seren exclaimed in shock. “I thought they were banned!”

“They _are_ banned. On every civilized planet.” The Doctor said and turned to Cassandra-Rose. “You’re compressing Rose to death.”

“Please, Cassandra. get out of my god-sister’s body.” Seren pleaded with the blonde woman, the fear for her god-sister’s life clear on her face. “Please!”

“But I’ve got nowhere else to go.” Cassandra-Rose said. “My original skin’s dead!”

“Not my problem.” The Doctor said, shaking his head. “You can float as atoms in the air. Now get out!”

“You asked for it.” Cassandra-Rose sneered as she faced the two of them.

The blonde took a deep breath and blew a cloud of pink light energy into Seren.

“Blimey, my head.” Rose moaned, putting a hand to her aching head. She looked around, asking, “Where did she go?” Instead of giving a response, the Doctor raised his screwdriver and pointed it threateningly at Seren. “Doctor! What are you doing?!”

“Get out of Seren’s body Cassandra.” The Doctor growled darkly, the power of the Oncoming Storm growing behind his eyes.

“Oh my.” Cassandra-Seren breathed with a gasp, her eyes wide. “She’s a Chosen One! She has the power of the Mara! Oh my, God!”

Cassandra-Seren looked at Rose and the Doctor with absolute fear and wonder at the dormant power the body possessed.

“Give her back to me Cassandra or so help me.” The Doctor growled.

“But what if I don’t want to?” Cassandra-Seren asked with a pout, looking at the Doctor with the large gold-rimmed purple doe eyes. She made her voice low and husky, sauntering up to the Time Lord with a sway on her hips and a sultry smirk on her face that didn’t suit the beautiful Welshwoman. “The power of the Mara isn’t something one can easily give up. Being a Chosen One.” She moved back and ran her hands over the toned and athletic body. “Oh, not only the dormant power that courses through this body, but the well-built form, oooh.”

She moaned in delight, her eyes fluttering closed as she revelled in the power of Seren’s body.

“Get out of her!” Rose yelled at Cassandra-Seren.

“Is that an order or a threat, Flower of Love?” Cassandra-Seren asked the blonde with a teasing smirk.

Rose reeled back as though she had been slapped at the name that Cassandra-Seren had called her. ‘Flower of Love’ was something that Seren had called her when she was little and used to miss her dad, Seren always saying that the nicknames that Pete had given them were based on their names and that each one held special meaning. Seren had then taken to calling Rose ‘Flower of Love’ as roses were primarily the flowers given to people you love, regardless of the colour.

Cassandra-Seren turned and looked at the Doctor, running the jewelled eyes over the slim figure.

“Hmm. Might as well kiss you with this body since I kissed you with the other one.” Cassandra-Seren said with a sigh.

Before the Doctor or Rose could react, she grabbed the Time Lord by the lapels of his suit and pulled him down to meet her full lips in a steamy kiss. When they pulled back several seconds later, they were both breathless, panting slightly.

“Mmm. Much better with this one.” Cassandra-Seren commented breathlessly as she looked at the Time Lord thoughtfully.

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the Welshwoman threateningly.

“Out. Now.” He growled through gritted teeth.

“Oh, fine.” Cassandra-Seren said with a pout, rolling her eyes.

With a cloud of pink energy, she leapt out of Seren and into the Doctor.

“Ow.” Seren moaned, putting a hand to her head and looking around. “Where is -?”

“Oh, my.” Seren heard the Doctor say. Her head snapped around and she gawked at him with wide eyes. “This is… different.”

“Cassandra?” Seren asked him, feeling slightly awkward.

"Goodness me, I'm a man.” Cassandra-Doctor said in amazement. “Yum. So many parts! And hardly used . . ." She wriggled around as she felt the double heartbeat. “Ah…ah! Two hearts! Oh, baby, I’m beating out a samba!”

Seren rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Get out of him, Cassandra!” Seren ordered her.

“Hmm, he’s slim.” Cassandra-Doctor commented, running a hand down his body. “And a little bit foxy.” She looked at Seren and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “You’ve thought so too, I’ve been inside your head…” Seren just looked at her a raised eyebrow, as Cassandra-Doctor walked closer, saying teasingly, “You’ve been looking… you like it. Better yet, you _love_ him.”

“What’s your point?” Seren asked, completely exasperated. “Yes, I think he’s foxy and absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I have been looking and yes, I’ve been enjoying the view. And yes, I’m in love with him! Now get out of him!”

Before any of them could say anything, the plague carriers managed to burst through the back door, causing the three of them to jump in surprise.

“What do we do? What would _he_ do? The Doctor, what the hell would he do?” Cassandra – Doctor cried frantically.

For a moment, Seren became side-tracked, absently thinking that Cassandra made the Doctor sound so gay just then.

“I’m never letting him forget this moment.” Seren said with a teasing smirk. She looked around, missing Cassandra-Doctor rolling his eyes at her. She noticed a ladder behind Rose. “Use the ladder. We’ve got to go up.”

Rose made a dash for the ladder only for Cassandra-Doctor to shove her aside to get to the ladder first.

“Out of the way, Blondie!” Cassandra-Doctor exclaimed as the plague carriers came even closer.

Seren was slowly becoming overwhelmed with the carriers’ emotions, the fear, the pain, the desire to touched and held.

Seren gritted her teeth against the emotions and pushed Rose towards the ladder, sending the blonde up before climbing it herself. As they climb the ladder, Seren kept looking down see if they were being followed.

“If you get out of the Doctor’s body, he can think of something.” Rose called up to the possessed Time Lord.

“Yap, yap, yap. God, it was tedious inside your head - Hormone city!” Cassandra-Doctor sniped.

Seren let out a groan at their bickering, the sniping not helping her growing headache from trying to suppress the emotions she was feeling from the carriers.

“Can you two please no-” Seren started only to cut herself off with a slight scream as something caught her heeled ankle. She looked down and found Matron Casp gripping at the ankle tightly. “Get off me! Please!”

Rose rolled her eyes exasperatedly at Seren’s politeness even while trying to shake the cat nun off, holding onto the ladder with a tighter grip.

“Really!” Rose exclaimed incredulously down at the Welshwoman. “Do you have to be polite to the person that played a pretty big hand in putting us in this mess?” She paused for a second before adding as an afterthought, “The other one being Cassandra.”

Cassandra-Doctor rolled his eyes.

“I’m a nice person!” Seren cried indignantly in response. “So, yes. I have to be polite!” She turned back to the matron gripping her ankle. “Matron Casp, please get off me!”

“All our good work, all that healing!” The Matron cried with a gasp. “The good name of the Sisterhood – you have destroyed everything!”

“Go and play with a ball of string.” Cassandra-Doctor said dismissively, rolling his eyes at the matron’s words.

“Everywhere – disease!” Matron Casp cried. “This is the human world – sickness!”

A plague carrier reached up and grasped her ankle, causing her to yowl in pain as boils broke out on her furred skin. She lost her grip on Seren’s ankle and fell down the shaft, the thudding sound of her hitting the bottom echoed up to their ears.

The plague carriers slowly made their way up towards the trio.

“Move! Go!” Seren shouted to Rose and Cassandra-Doctor.

Cassandra-Doctor let out a whimper and resumed the hasty climb upwards, not needing any further prompting.

 _“Maximum quarantine. Divert all shuttles.”_  They heard the announcement over the PA system as they reached the top of the ladder.

Cassandra-Doctor tried to open the door, only to find out that it was sealed.

“Help us.” The plague carriers gasped.

“Now what do we do?” Cassandra-Doctor asked with a whine.

“Use the sonic screwdriver.” Seren told her.

She took the screwdriver out of his pocket and held it between his thumb and forefinger, wrinkling his nose.

“You mean this thing?” Cassandra-Doctor asked.

“Yes, I mean that thing.” Seren said with a groan, glancing down at the slowly ascending carriers.

“But I don’t know how!” Cassandra-Doctor exclaimed, whining. “That Doctor’s hidden away all his thoughts.”

Seren bit her lip, trying to think of something that could help them. She didn’t know how to use the screwdriver to open sealed doors, absently making a note to get the Time Lord to show her how once they got out of their current mess.

“Cassandra, go back into me.” Seren said after a moment, making a snap decision.

"Seren, are you sure?” Rose asked, looking down at the older woman.

“No.” Seren replied honestly. “But I can’t think of anything else. Cassandra goes into me, the Doctor will be able to open the door.”

“Hold on tight.” Cassandra-Doctor said.

Seren tightened her grip on the ladder bars as the stream of pink conscious energy flew out of the Doctor and into her.

“Oh… wonderful.” Cassandra-Seren sighed and looked up at the Doctor. “Open it!”

“Not ‘till you get out of her.” The Doctor growled, pointing the sonic screwdriver at her.

“We need you, Doctor.” Rose said, only to be ignored by the furious Time Lord.

“I order you to leave her!” The Doctor shouted angrily.

Cassandra-Seren sighed exasperatedly and the pink energy stream leapt out of Seren’s body, back into the Time Lord.

"No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout." Cassandra-Doctor stated.

“Really, Cassandra?” Seren asked her, unimpressed.

“But I can't go into you, he simply refuses. He's so rude.” Cassandra-Doctor complained.

“She’s right, Seren.” Rose said, trying to be helpful.

“Well, think of something!” Seren exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

Cassandra-Doctor glared at the Welshwoman before gazing at the approaching plague carriers with disgust and reluctance.

“Oh, I’m so going to regret this.” Cassandra-Doctor moaned.

The pink energy stream leapt out of the Doctor and the two women watched as it flew past them and into a female plague carrier below them.

“Oh, sweet Lord!” Cassandra exclaimed, looking at her boil-riddled arm. “I look disgusting.”

The Doctor sonick’ed the door open and leapt out of the shaft, helping Rose out as well before holding a hand out to Seren.

“Nice to have you back.” He said with a smile as Seren grabbed his hand and pulled herself out of the shaft.

“No you don’t!” Cassandra said, seeing the Time Lord start to close the doors.

The pink energy stream flew out of the woman and through the doors, seconds before they closed, flying into Rose.

The Doctor and Seren spun around when they heard Rose gasp.

“That was your last warning Cassandra!” Seren growled as Cassandra-Rose fell back against the wall, her eyes wide and dazed as she stared into space.

"Inside her head . . .” Cassandra-Rose said quietly, panting as she stared into space. “They're so alone . . . they keep reaching out, just to hold us. All their lives and they've never been touched."

Seren’s angry gaze softened as Cassandra-Rose confirmed what the Empath had been feeling from the plague carriers. Seren and the Doctor exchanged looks and held their hands out to the possessed blonde. Cassandra-Rose looked at the outstretched hands for a moment before taking them, using them to pull herself up. At the banging on the resealed door, the Doctor opened another door and led the two women back into Ward 26.

The moment Frau Clovis saw them, she ran towards them brandishing a chair menacingly, roaring wildly.

“We're safe, we're safe, we're safe! We're clean, we're clean!” The Doctor cried, holding out his hands. “Look, look.”

He began showing her the skin on his hands and wrists. Merneith walked up to Frau Clovis and looked at the three new arrivals with a calm look in her eyes, her veil still obscuring the lower half of her face.

“Show us your skin.” Merneith ordered calmly, yet authoritatively.

The Doctor, Cassandra-Rose and Seren complied, showing the occupants of the Ward their clean skin – the two women showing their bare arms while the Doctor lifted up his suit sleeves slightly and showed his neck.

“They’re clean.” Merneith proclaimed.

Frau Clovis nodded in acceptance and lowered the chair, putting it on the side.

“If they’d been touched, they’d be dead.” Asar pointed out.

“He’s right.” Seren said nodding, neither she nor the Doctor mentioning that Seren wouldn’t die and the Doctor would regenerate.

“How’s it going up here?” The Doctor asked, taking charge and putting his screwdriver back in his pocket. “What’s the status?”

“There’s nothing but silence from the other Wards.” Frau Clovis began.

Merneith turned around and walked away, returning to the other side of the Ward were her husband and son were standing with Liam. Seren’s eyes widened in surprise when she caught sight of the Mark on the Queen’s back, right above the space between her shoulder blades.

“Siwan.” Seren said quietly to herself, turning back to Frau Clovis and tuning into what the stern woman was saying.

“I think we’re the only ones left. And I've been trying to override the quarantine.” Frau Clovis held up her futuristic PDA in explanation. “If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad.”

“We told you already, you can’t do that. They’d be breaking quarantine if they forced entry.” Asar said in a tone of complete exasperation.

“And forcing an entry is exactly what they’re going to do.” Djet added, rubbing his eyes to alleviate the rising headache.

“I’m not dying in here!” Frau Clovis hissed angrily.

“We can’t let a single particle of disease out.” Seren said firmly, looking up at the woman.

“There is 10 million people in that city. They’d all be at risk.” The Doctor added, pointing at the window where they could see the City of New New York.

“Now turn that off!” Seren and Merneith ordered her in unison.

“Not if it gets me out.” Frau Clovis hissed.

“All right, fine. So, I have to stop you as well. Suits me.” The Doctor said, nodding.

Merneith walked with deathly calm towards Frau Clovis, the stern blonde focused on the Doctor and not noticing the Royal. Merneith reached out and pinched the blonde woman’s neck, right at her carotid artery where her pulse point was. Everyone in the Ward watched in dumbstruck silence as Frau Clovis collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Merneith looked at them all and raised an eyebrow at the slack-jawed expression.

“What?” She asked unrepentantly. “I’m not the only one this woman has been irritating to kingdom come.”

“You j-just…” Cassandra-Rose stammered, looking between the Queen and the unconscious woman on the floor.

“Why am I _not_ surprised?” Seren muttered, shaking her head in amusement.

“You better have a good plan on getting us out of this mess.” Merneith said, turning her calm gaze onto the Time Lord.

“I have a plan. I’m not so sure it’s a good one.” The Doctor admitted, gulping slightly.

“I’ll take what I can get.” Merneith said, shrugging.

“Right.” The Doctor said faintly before shaking his head and regaining control, removing his sonic screwdriver. “Seren, Rose, Novice Hame, everyone! Excuse me, your Grace, your Majesties, your Highness. Get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!”

He ran to one of the cubicles on the other side of the Ward as everyone grabbed all the bags of solutions they could find. The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to unhook a round piece of metal equipment from a patient’s cascade wash and take it before grabbing a long coil of thick silk rope. While Cassandra-Rose and the other occupants of the Ward grabbed the drip bags, Seren securely tied the cord around the Doctor’s body. She took each of the bags that were being handed to her and attached them to the rope, hanging them off the Time Lord’s chest in a similar style to a grenade chest belt.

“How’s that? Will that do?” The Doctor asked once Seren attached the last drip bag.

“I still have no idea what you’re planning.” Seren muttered quietly to him.

“I don’t know. Will it do for what?’ Cassandra-Rose asked frantically, standing near the two of them and not hearing Seren’s quiet comment.

“You’ll see.” The Doctor said cheerfully as he led the two women out of the Ward and into the waiting area.

He went to the lift and sonick-ed the doors open.

“The lifts aren’t working!” Cassandra-Rose exclaimed in reminder.

“Not _moving_.” The Doctor corrected, looking up and down the shaft. “Different thing.” He moved back a few steps and looked at the lift entrance, getting ready to make a running jump. “Here we go.”

Djet, Merneith, Asar, Liam, Seren and Cassandra-Rose watched as the Doctor put the screwdriver between his teeth and look at the lift calculatingly. The Royal Family was by the Ward entrance while Seren and Cassandra-Rose were by the lift.

“But you’re not going to…” Cassandra-Rose started, only to trail off as the Time Lord ran into the shaft, jumping onto and clinging to the heavy-duty lift cable. Her and Seren ran to the open door as the possessed blonde shrieked, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Going down.” Seren said excitedly as the Doctor clasped the round metal equipment to the cable and sonick-ed it into place as a makeshift cable-wheel.

The Doctor looked at Seren with a nod and she moved back slightly, tying her long hair into a knot at the back of her head. She took a breath, calculating the distance before running and jumping onto the cable as well, face-to-face with the Doctor, her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands over his on the metal clasp.

“Have fun!” Merneith called cheerfully from the Ward entrance.

“We will!” Seren called back, laughing slightly. She became slightly serious as she added, “When we get back, you have a lot of explaining to do, missy.”

“Looking forward to it.” Merneith said in a tone that said the exact opposite.

Unknown to Seren, Djet had shuddered slightly at the Companion’s words, causing Asar and Liam to burst out laughing.

“Come on!” The Doctor called to Cassandra-Rose.

Cassandra-Rose made a disbelieving noise at the back of her throat.

“Never in a million years.” She said, looking at the pair incredulously.

“You’re so desperate to stay alive, why don’t you live a little?” The Doctor asked challengingly.

“Doesn't look like you have a choice!” Asar yelled as they caught sight of the plague carriers coming through the Intensive Care tunnel.

“Seal the door!” Seren yelled to them.

“Good luck!” Djet yelled as he sealed the door shut, leaving Cassandra-Rose with two choices: stay and become infected, or jump into the shaft.

Cassandra-Rose gave a reluctant moan and jumped into the shaft, onto the Doctor’s back. She wrapped her arms around the man’s neck and her legs over Seren’s, locking the Welshwoman in place in the process.

“You’re completely mad.” Cassandra-Rose said matter-of-factly. “I can see why Seren likes you.”

The Doctor looked at Seren in surprise, a slight blush filling his cheeks.

“Of course, I like you. You healed the hole in my heart.” Seren said softly with a slight blush on her own cheeks, not denying her feelings but also not telling him the extent of them.

The Doctor smiled at her in response.

“Going down!” He exclaimed cheerfully as he reached up and undid the clasp keeping them in place.

Seren and the Doctor whooped in excitement while Cassandra-Rose screamed as they zoomed down the shaft at an incredible speed.

Several exhilarating seconds later, the Doctor pulled the brakes on the makeshift cable wheel, bringing them to a gentle stop on top of the lift at the bottom of the shaft. They let go of each other and the cable.

“Well, that’s one way to lose weight.” Cassandra-Rose commented, straightening her shirt.

“Now listen Cassandra, when I say so, take hold of that lever.” The Doctor said to the possessed blonde, pointing to the lever her was referring to.

“There’s still a quarantine down there, we can’t-” Cassandra-Rose began to argue.

“Hold that lever!” The Doctor shouted, cutting her off. Cassandra-Rose backed down, crouching by the lever and getting ready to hold it when given the order. “I’m cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself.”

The Doctor, with Seren’s help, began removing the drip bags from the rope and pouring the contents of each one into the lift’s disinfectant tank.

“Now that lever’s gonna resist but keep it in position.” The Doctor said as they poured the contents of the last bags into the tank. “Hold on to it with everything you’ve got.”

The Doctor removed the rope from around his body and opened the trapdoor on top of the lift, Seren across from him.

“What about you two?” Cassandra-Rose asked, looking at them.

“We’ve got an appointment.” Seren said with a grin, dropping into the lift and landing gracefully on her feet.

“The Doctor is in.” The Doctor said, with an equally wide grin on his face before dropping into the lift as well and landing next to Seren.

He aimed his screwdriver at the lift doors and opened them. Out in the reception area, they saw the plague carriers huddled together in groups. Hearing the lift doors open, they looked up toward the sound and saw the Doctor and Seren inside. The carriers stood up and walked towards them slowly.

Seren was nearly overwhelmed by their emotions and grabbed the Doctor’s hand to anchor herself. The desire, the desperation to be touched and held was almost overpowering.

“We’re in here.” She said, her voice remaining steady by pure force of will though her hand shook slightly in the Doctor’s hold.

“Come on!” The Doctor added, tightening his hold on Seren’s hand.

“Don’t _tell_   them!” Cassandra-Rose shouted.

“Pull that lever!” The Doctor yelled up in response as the pair of them moved to the very back of the lift.

“Come and get us. Come on!” Seren called to the plague carriers. “We’re in here! Come on!”

 _“Commence stage one disinfection_.” The lift’s automated system announced.

“Hurry up! Come on!” The Doctor yelled, to Cassandra-Rose and the plague carriers.

Almost instantly, the pair were drenched with the contents of the disinfectant tank above them. They let go of each other’s hands and held their arms out to the plague carriers, urging them into the lift and under the down pour as well.

The first of the carriers join them inside the lift and got sprayed on by the disinfection spray.

“All they want to do is pass it on.” The Doctor exclaimed happily. “Pass it on!”

They watched as the humans left the lift and began embracing the carriers still in the reception area.

“Pass on what?” Cassandra-Rose asked loudly, still holding the lever in position. “Pass on what?”

“Pass it on!” Seren exclaimed, just as enthusiastic as the Doctor as her hair became unbound from its knot and hell down her back in drenched strands.

The two of them watched with glee as the humans embraced and touched the carriers, passing on the disinfection; one by one, they all became healthy for the first time in their lives. The Doctor turned and helped Cassandra-Rose into the lift as Seren slipped of her heels and removed the liquid from them before putting them back on.

“What did they pass on? Did you kill them? All of them?” Cassandra-Rose asked in quick succession.

“No.” The Doctor replied, completely unfazed by his wet form.

“That’s _your_   way of doing things.” Seren added as the Doctor walked out of the lift.

Seren and Cassandra-Rose followed him out and looked around at the newly healed humans. They were looking at their surroundings in almost child-like wonder and amazement.

“I’m the Doctor and I cured them.” The Doctor said as the three of them walked in the midst of the former plague carriers. Two women walked up to Seren and the Doctor, hugging them gently. “That's right. Hey, there we go, sweetheart.”

“You’re okay darling.” Seren said gently as her and the Doctor pulled back from their hugs.

“You go to them.” The Doctor said gently as they ushered the two women towards a small group of people that were sitting nearby.

“Go on, that’s it.” Seren said softly as the two women joined the small group.

“It’s a new sub-species, Seren, Cassandra.” The Doctor explained happily as he put his hands on a man’s shoulders and looked at him for a moment. “A brand new form of life.” He let go of the man and moved away, going towards a small cluster that were sitting on the curved benches. “New Humans! Look at them. Look!”

“Grown by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes, but completely, completely alive.” Seren said ecstatically, bending slightly to look at some of the new humans that were seated on the curved benches.

The gold-rimmed amethyst-eyed Chosen One was revelling in the wonder and peace she was feeling from the new humans, the happiness at finally, _finally_ , being held, touched and embraced.

“You can’t deny them, ‘cos you helped create them.” The Doctor told Cassandra-Rose, pointing at her. He turned back and looked at the new humans. “The human race just keeps on going, keeps on changing.” He straightened up and spread his arms out widely. “Life will out! Ha!”

He grinned maniacally as Seren straightened up, a wide smile on her own fair features.

“Come on, we’ve got to lift the quarantine so that the authorities can enter.” Seren said, turning and heading towards the reception desk.

“Really? You can’t just let me revel in this, just a little longer?” The Doctor asked her exasperatedly, following her to the desk.

“If I did, we’d be here for hours.” Seren said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, God. You two are like a married couple.” Cassandra-Rose muttered, just loud enough for them to hear her.

“We’re not a couple!” The two exclaimed in unison.

“Why does everyone always think we’re a couple?” Seren asked exasperatedly, sitting at one of the terminals and accessing the hospital mainframe.

“No idea.” The Doctor replied, standing behind her and looking over her shoulder. He pointed to a spot on the screen. “There, click on that.”

Seren did as told, and he guided her into the mainframe, walking her through the process of lifting the quarantine.

“So, what is it that you need to speak to Merneith and Djet about?” He asked curiously as she finished sending the alert to the authorities.

“I saw Merneith’s Mark.” Seren replied, turning around to look at him and standing up. He raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner. “Identical to the one I have, except for the location.”

“You mean-?” The Doctor started, his eyes wide as he realized what she was saying.

“Oh yeah.” Seren replied, nodding.

“Wow. I-I mean, we knew it was possible.” He stammered.

“But we never expected it would happen!” Seren added, her eyes bright with excitement.

“Oh, my Rassilon!” The Doctor exclaimed. “This is great!”

“And they say they’re not a couple.” An amused voice said, drawing the two out of their little bubble.

They turned around and followed the voice, seeing Merneith, Djet, Asar and Liam standing near Cassandra-Rose.

“I don’t know.” Asar said mock ponderingly, a smirk on his face. “Auntie Seren and Uncle Doctor definitely look like a couple.”

“Finishing each other’s sentences, Seren being the only one who understands the Doctor’s rambling, keeping each other in line. That definitely sounds like being a couple.” Liam said, nodding sagely.

Seren and the Doctor rolled their eyes at them, opting to ignore the comments. The three Royals, Seren and the Doctor moved to the side so they could talk without being overheard. However, they were still in Liam’s line of sight and Cassandra-Rose was still in theirs.

“Little Bird.” Seren said, turning to look at the beautiful veiled Queen. “I take it Djet was once a _horse-rider_ ’?”

“Indeed, I was.” Djet replied, smiling slightly at the woman’s subtle way of saying _Horseman_.

“I haven’t heard that nickname in a long time.” Merneith said softly, a sad look in her eyes. “Not since…”

“Uncle Pete died.” Seren finished quietly.

Merneith nodded, tears in her eyes. Pete had been the one to call Siwan by the nickname 'Little Bird' based on her middle name, Aderyn, similar to Seren being called 'Little Star' based on her first name.

“Can you say anything about why you had to make your Choice?” The Doctor asked softly, putting his arm around Seren as she leaned into him.

“We can’t.” Merneith said tearfully, shaking her head. Djet put his arm around her comfortingly as Asar took her hand and held it tightly in his own. “It’s a fixed point.”

“Fixed point.” Seren repeated, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember what the term meant. “That means it’s something that _has_ to happen, yeah? No matter what?”

“Yeah.” The Doctor replied, nodding sadly.

“This is not something to be sad about.” Seren said firmly, wiping away the few tears that fell from her eyes. “You’re alive. You’re happy, you have a child-”

“Several children.” Asar corrected.

“Several children.” Seren corrected herself with a laugh. “Why am I not surprised? It’s been about 5 billion years.”

The group laughed, braking the tension that had slowly been building.

“I thought you couldn’t have kids?” Seren asked Djet in confusion once the laughter died down. “You had said that your side of the family is sterile. The you had all been adopted, you were foundlings.”

Again, Seren was subtle with the way she phrased her question, though she had meant Immortals like Djet and Duncan McCleod.

 “You’re right.” Djet said, nodding. “The others are sterile. However, my Bond with Merneith allows me this joy.” He smiled at his wife, his eyes filled with love for her. He turned back to Seren and the Doctor. “Unfortunately, I cannot say any more.”

“It’s okay.” Seren said, understanding the need to be vague. “Thank you for telling us as much as you did.”

Liam walked up to them, his comm in hand.

“Your Majesties, your Highness, our escort has arrived.” He said quietly, looking regretful at having to end the clearly emotional family moment.

Merneith and Djet nodded and turned to the time travelling pair.

“It was good to see you again.” Djet said, pulling the Time Lord into a hug as Merneith pulled her sister into one as well.

“You too.” Seren said, pulling away from Merneith and hugging Djet while the Doctor hugged the Queen.

Pulling away from their hugs once more, Seren and the Doctor turned to Asar, marvelling at how much he had grown since they had seen him only a year earlier from their perspective.

“I can’t believe how big you’ve gotten.” Seren said softly, putting her hands on the young prince’s face.

“For us, it’s only been a year.” The Doctor said softly. “And what a year it has been.”

“Seeing the end of the world, delivering a baby _while_ the world ended, Daleks, World War Two, -” Seren started.

“Seren experiencing the Blitz by barrage balloon, gas-mask zombies running around and calling for their mummies, -” The Doctor added, putting an arm around Seren’s shoulders and squeezing her gently.

“Meeting Jack, Slitheen in Downing Street and again in Cardiff, meeting Charles Dickens and encountering ghosts that inhabited cadavers.” Seren added before groaning in realization. “Ay, it has been one hell of a year.”

Asar, Merneith and Djet laughed at the expressions on the pair’s faces, knowing that the list they had compiled was only half of what they had been through.

“We should get going.” Djet said regretfully. “The other kids will be wondering what’s going on.”

They went through another round of hugs before stepping back, the Royals and Liam being teleported out and into the awaiting shuttle. The pair joined Cassandra-Rose and headed towards the lift, intending to return to Ward 26.

“So, how do you know that Royal Family of the New Egyptian Empire?” Cassandra-Rose asked in honest curiosity.

“Seren delivered her baby when you tried to kill us all on Platform One.” The Doctor said with a slight snark in his tone.

“Doctor.” Seren sighed warningly before turning to Cassandra-Rose as they entered the lift. “They’re family.”

Cassandra-Rose looked at her with a raised eyebrow, incredulity clear on her face.

“Can’t say much more then that, I’m afraid.” The Doctor said, removing his suit jacket as they went up, this time not being sprayed with the disinfectant shower.

Seren was grateful for not being sprayed, her and the Doctor were still wet from the last round, though they were drying slowly.

 _“This is the NNYPD. Please step away from the shuttles.”_ A voice called on a loudspeaker, heard even in the lift.

“Looks like the authorities are finally here.” Seren commented as they exited the lift.

 _“All staff will present themselves to the officers for immediate arrest. I repeat - immediate arrest.”_ The announcement was made over the PA as the trio walked into the Ward. They watched in grim silence as the nuns were escorted out by a squad of officers that were already in the Ward. _“All new life forms will be catalogued and taken into care. All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD.”_

“The Face of Boe!” The Doctor exclaimed, remembering the being they had come to the hospital to visit in the first place.

“Seriously!” Seren exclaimed. “You forgot?!”

“We were a bit busy!” The Doctor cried defensively, putting his suit jacket back on and hurrying towards the Ward’s last remaining occupant.

Seren rolled her eyes in exasperation as they walked up to the now awake Face of Boe.

“You were supposed to be dying.” The Doctor told him with a gentle smile.

“There are better things to do today. Dying can wait.” The Face of Boe said, speaking directly into their minds through telepathy.

“Oh, I hate telepathy.” Cassandra-Rose muttered rudely. “Just what I need, a head full of big face.”

“Shh!” Seren hissed, glaring at the possessed blonde before turning back to the telepathic being.

“I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, Star-Flower, but you both have taught me to look at it anew.”

Seren smiled at the being, remembering a former con-man who had called her by the same name.

“There are legends, you know.” Seren said, the gentle smile still on her face as she and the Doctor crouched in front of the glass tank.

“Saying that you’re millions of years old.” The Doctor finished, a slight smirk on his face.

“Well, that would be impossible.” The Face of Boe said, his rumbling laughter echoing in their minds.

“Wouldn’t it just.” The Doctor commented with a grin before it faded, and he became serious. “I got the impression that there was something you wanted to tell us.”

“A great secret.” The Face of Boe said.

“So the legend says.” Seren said softly.

“It can wait.” The Face of Boe said.

“Oh, does it have to?” The Doctor asked with a whine.

Seren rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow, causing the Time Lord to stumble and lose his balance, falling on the floor.

“Seren!” He exclaimed as he sat back up and glared at her, the Face of Boe’s rumbling laughter echoing through their minds. Cassandra-Rose bit back a snort, silently noting that the pair really were like a married couple.

“We shall meet again Doctor, Star-Flower.” The Face of Boe said, becoming serious and drawing the pair’s attention to him once more. “For the third time, for the last time. And the truth shall be told. Until that day…”

They watched in wonder as the Face of Boe was beamed away.

“That is enigmatic.” The Doctor commented impressed, looking at the spot the Face of Boe had been. “That… that is - that is textbook enigmatic.” He sighed and stood up, Seren following suit and both facing Cassandra-Rose. “And now for you.”

“But… everything's happy. Everything's fine. Can't you just leave me?” Cassandra-Rose asked pleadingly.

“You’ve lived long enough Cassandra.” Seren said gently. “Please, leave my Rose’s body and end it.”

Cassandra-Rose began to cry.

“I don’t want to die.” She sobbed, putting a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stem the sobs.

“No one does.” The Doctor said gently.

“Help me!” She pleaded, looking at the pair in front of her.

“We can’t.” Seren said regretfully.

“Mistress!” They heard Chip exclaim, making Cassandra-Rose gasp in surprise.

“Oh! You’re alive!” Cassandra-Rose exclaimed in shock as he walked up to them.

“I kept myself safe - for you Mistress.” Chip told Cassandra-Rose, smiling at her.

The clone’s words had the wheels turning in Cassandra-Rose’s head.

“A body…” She said softly, staring at the clone. “And not just that, a volunteer…”

“Don’t you dare!” Seren and the Doctor exclaimed warningly in unison.

“He’s got a life of his own!” The Doctor added.

“But I worship the Mistress!” Chip told the pair adamantly before turning to Cassandra-Rose, saying gently, “I welcome her.”

“You can’t Cassandra!” Seren exclaimed. “You…”

She trailed off as ignored the pair and sent her stream of pink energy into Chip. Rose fell forward with a gasp and the Doctor lunged forward to catch her before she fell to the ground.

“Are you all right?” Seren asked frantically as the Doctor steadied Rose in his arms.

Rose paused for a moment and stepped back, only to lose her balance and begin to fall again.

“Whoa!” The Doctor cried, catching the blonde again. Rose sighed, leaning her head on the Time Lord’s shoulder. “You okay?” He asked her softly, Seren looking on in worry.

“Yeah.” Rose said after a moment’s pause, stepping back slightly and smiling up at the Doctor. “Hello.”

“Hello.” The Doctor replied, smiling back at her. “Welcome back. You had Seren incredibly worried.”

Rose looked at Seren and smiled reassuringly. Seeing the blonde’s true smile, Seren smiled back, letting out a breath of relief knowing that her beloved god-sister was safe.

“Oh, sweet lord. I’m a walking doodle.” Cassandra-Chip grumbled, her voice drawing their attention to her.

“You can’t stay in there.” The Doctor said firmly, turning to the possessed clone. “I’m sorry Casandra, but that’s not fair. We can take you to the city, they can build you a new skin-tank and you can stand trial for what you’ve done.”

“Well, that would be rather dramatic.” Cassandra-Chip commented loftily. “Possibly my finest hour - certainly my finest hat,” He chuckled lightly before becoming serious. “But I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip is only a half-life, and he's been through so much. His heart is racing so.” His expression cleared as realization dawned on her. “He's failing. I don't think he's going to last-”

Cassandra-Chip’s legs gave way and he pitched forward with a pained groan. The Doctor and Seren reached out and grabbed the possessed clone before he could hit the floor, gently lowering him down.

“You all right?” Seren asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.” Cassandra-Chip replied as they sat him down and crouched on front of him. There was a pause and the three time-travellers stared with concerned expressions on their faces. “I’m dying, but that’s fine.”

Casandra-Chip smiled slightly at them, feeling a sense of peace and acceptance flow through her heart that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“I can take you to the city.” The Doctor said calmly.

“No, you won’t” Casandra-Chip refused. “Everything’s new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You're right, Doctor, Seren. It's time to die.” Rose looked on sadly, upset that Cassandra was still going to die. Cassandra-Chip swallowed and looked at the three of them with acceptance. “And that's good.”

“Come on.” The Doctor said softly as the three of them helped Casandra-Chip to his feet. “There’s one last thing we can do.”

They took her to the TARDIS where Seren and Rose helped the dying soul sit on the jump seat while the Doctor started up the engines.

"Rose, look after her.” Seren said, looking at the blonde before turning to the possessed clone. “I’m going to go get a cloak for you.”

Cassandra-Chip nodded and Seren ran out of the console room and into the Wardrobe, Idris speeding her along. Seren quickly found a dark cloak that would be suitable, Idris making it possible by lighting up the garment with her beautiful golden light.

“Hold on, we’re landing!” The Doctor called in warning just as Seren returned to the console room a few minutes later.

Immediately, the three grabbed hold to something, Cassandra-Chip following suit just in time as the TARDIS shook and grinded to a stop. The Doctor went to the door and looked out while Seren helped Cassandra-Chip into the cloak before stepping out as well.

They looked out at the elegantly dressed guests and saw the still human-form Cassandra laughing and talking, being the life and soul of the party.

“Thank you.” Cassandra-Chip said to Seren and the Doctor, turning to look at them with gratefulness shining in his eyes.

“Just go – and don’t look back.” The Doctor said.

“Good luck.” Rose said softly.

Seren raised the cloak over Cassandra-Chip’s head, obscuring most of the features and hugged him gently before pulling back and stepping away. The possessed clone smiled one last time and walked forward, heading into the midst of the party towards the woman she once was.

As Cassandra-Chip got the human-form Cassandra’s attention, Seren turned and took hold of Rose and the Doctor’s hands, gently tugging them away from the scene.

“Seren?” Rose asked, looking at the older woman in confusion.

“We’ve seen her change and become a good person. She doesn’t need us to see her die as well.” Seren said softly, a solemn look in her eyes. “It’s time to move on.”

The Doctor nodded in agreement and let the beautiful woman pull him and Rose back inside the TARDIS. While he fiddled with the controls to send them into the Vortex towards their next adventure, Rose sat on the jump seat watching him while Seren climbed up a pillar and perched in one of the curves with a book on Recreational Mathematics that she had been reading.

The Doctor gave one last glance towards the closed doors before he flipped the lever, sending them hurtling through Time and Space.

_ Links: _

_*Seren outfit (amethyst purple top and black shoes) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/147281850285342719/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/147281850285342719/)

_*Seren headband -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/450430400225589747/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/450430400225589747/)

_*Seren purse -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477252974/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477252974/)

_*Siwan outfit -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/307722587033941191/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/307722587033941191/)

_*Merneith dress -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479031218/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479031218/)

_*Merneith jewellery/ hair/ makeup -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/138837600984999995/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/138837600984999995/)

_*Merneith veil –_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469152896/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469152896/)

_*Merneith sandals -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478511791/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478511791/)

_*Djet outfit -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/319474167296464721/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/319474167296464721/)


	3. Tooth and Claw

** Tooth and Claw **

Seren covered a yawn as she entered her room on the TARDIS, putting the Recreational Mathematics textbook she had been reading on her writing desk, toeing off her black heels and flopping backwards onto the bed.

They had been flying through the Vortex for some time since leaving Cassandra-Chip to spend her last moments with a human-form Cassandra. Seren had spent most of the time reading and working on the Recreational Mathematics equations before her exhaustion began creeping up on her. The Doctor and Rose had been chatting to each other for most of that time, and Seren wasn’t sure if they realized that she was no longer in her perch on a coral pillar in the console room.

“Is something the matter, my Star?” Idris asked in her musical voice. “You seem out of sorts.”

“I’m just tired Idris.” Seren replied, removing her headband and putting it on the night table as she curled on her side. “It’s been a few days since I got some proper sleep, mostly because of Mica being colicky and David being clingy.”

“I see.” Idris replied. “And it has nothing to do with Rose being onboard with us?”

Seren looked at the ceiling in confusion.

“What are you talking about, Idris? Of course, it has nothing to do with that.” Seren said, sitting up in the middle of the bed and playing with a curled lock of her hair. “I’m happy Rose got to join us, I’ve wanted her to share in our adventures for quite some time.”

“If you are certain, my Star.” Idris said, her tone implying she didn’t quite believe her but was surrendering gracefully.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” Seren asked.

“No, I do not.” Idris replied bluntly, giggling at the back of Seren’s mind.

Seren looked at the ceiling in exasperation and shook her head.

“I’m exhausted, my brain’s not working. I’m going to sleep.” She said, covering her mouth as another yawn escaped her mouth.

She flopped backward on the bed and curled on her side, hearing Idris humming at the back of her mind and falling asleep between one heartbeat to the next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seren was startled awake when her bedroom door was slammed open.

“What is it?” She asked, sitting up abruptly and looking at the door only to relax when she saw who it was. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” The Doctor muttered, coming into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed as Seren rubbed her eyes and faced him. “What are you doing in here?”

“Sleeping.” Seren replied, covering a yawn. “It’s what people do when they’re tired.”

“I know what sleeping is.” He said, rolling his eyes at her. “Why didn’t you say you were leaving? I was going around talking and chattering thinking it was you, even if you were reading you still listen to me. Only to find out you had left when I asked where in the late 1970’s you want to go, and Rose was the one who answered instead of you.”

“Sorry.” Seren said apologetically, looking at him tiredly. “The two of you were talking animatedly and I didn’t want to interrupt.” She slowly made her way to the edge of the bed as she asked, “So, where does Rose want to go?”

“Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November 1979.” The Doctor replied with a grin.

“I should’ve known.” Seren said with a smile. “She loves Ian Dury.” She stood up from the bed and turned to him. “I’m going to go wash up and meet you in the console room. Try and remove the signs of my exhaustion.”

“If you want to sit this one out…” The Doctor started, looking at her worriedly.

“It’s fine.” Seren said with a smile. “I’ll be okay once I’ve had some tea.” She gestured toward the steaming mug on her nightstand that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “Idris transported it in from the kitchen as I was falling asleep.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” The Doctor said, still looking worried but accepting that Seren knew her own limits.

He stood up from the bed and walked out of the room, pausing in the doorway to look at her. Seren had already turned and was making her way to the bathroom barefoot to wash her face. He sighed quietly and left the room, closing the door behind him.

A few minutes after the Doctor left, Seren came out of the bathroom drying her face. She jumped slightly when her walk-in closet door opened suddenly.

“Idris?” Seren called curiously. “What’s going on? This outfit should be okay for 1979, just with a leather jacket and heeled boots.”

She gestured to the amethyst purple top and tan trousers she had been wearing on New Earth.

“My Thief is terrible at getting his landings entirely correct.” Idris said with a slight giggle. “You will need something more suitable for the time period.”

“Would that be because of his abysmal driving or you changing the landing coordinates?” Seren asked as she grabbed her mug of tea and walked into the closet. “And one day, you are going to have to tell me why you call him ‘Thief’.”

“Just hurry up and get changed, my Star.” Idris replied in lieu of giving an actual answer, though Seren could hear the sentient ship’s amused giggles echo through her mind. “And one day you will know.”

“Okay. What do you have in mind?” Seren asked shrugging slightly, taking a sip of the warm beverage.

A dress, shoes and matching accessories lit up with a soft golden light in response.

“And wear your perception filter ring on your left ring finger.” Idris added as Seren picked up the dress, shoes and accessories that were glowing softly, juggling them and the mug in her hands.

“Why?” Seren asked, looking at the thin gold ring on her right ring finger.

“You’ll see.” Idris replied cryptically. “And give this to my Thief, he’ll know what to do with it.”

A small velvet box appeared next to her jewellery chest and glowed slightly.

Seren sighed in frustration and picked it up, adding it the pile in her arms and walked out of the closet to the main area of her room, gently putting the dress on her bed with the accessories and the small velvet box while the shoes were on the floor and the mug was on the nightstand. She quickly changed from her 21st Century clothing into the period clothing of the late 19th Century and tied her hair into an intricate bun at the back of her head. Once she was dressed and switched her perception filter ring to her left hand, she finished her tea and left her room with the velvet box in hand, making her way to the console room, hearing the strains of Ian Dury and the Blockheads get louder as she got closer.

“Landing!” She heard the Doctor shout as she entered the console room just as the TARDIS shuddered violently.

She quickly grabbed hold of the doorframe as Rose and the Doctor were thrown back from the console and onto the platform, sending them into peals of laughter.

“Are you two all right?” Seren asked, walking around the console and coming to stand in front of them.

“1979, hell of a year…” The Doctor started as he got to his feet, trailing off when he caught sight of the beautiful Welshwoman. “Wow, Seren Rhosyn you look amazing.”

Seren was wearing an amethyst purple floor-length dress with short puffed sleeves a slightly darker shade and gold embroidery and beadwork along the bodice, the underskirt and the trim of the gown*, a matching gold and amethyst purple pendant necklace and earring set* and amethyst purple 5” high heeled ankle boots*. Her long hair was pulled up into an elegant and intricate bun at the back of her head*, with a few curled tendrils loose and framing her face beautifully, and hanging from her wrist was an amethyst purple drawstring purse, scattered with gold beadwork*. Overtop her stunning dress was an amethyst purple cloak lined with gold within*, the cord tied around her neck and the hood down.

“Thank you.” Seren said with a bashful smile, her rosy cheeks filling with a beautiful blush.

“Why are you dressed like that though?” Rose asked curiously, getting up from the floor and looking at the elegantly dressed woman. “We’re going to a concert in 1979.”

Rose was wearing blue denim mini-dungarees with a short-sleeved purple t-shirt underneath, black stockings and flat boots reaching just above her ankles with her silver hoop earrings in her ears.

“Idris told me to, as well as telling me to wear my perception filter ring on my left hand and to give you this.” Seren replied, holding her left hand up to show them the switch and handing the velvet box to the Time Lord. “She said you would know what to do with it.”

The Doctor took the box and opened it, revealing a plain gold ring. He looked at it for a moment before looking up at the ceiling with a questioning look on his face, evidently Idris was telling him something. The questioning look faded as a slight blush filled his cheeks for a moment before he shrugged and put the ring on his left-hand ring finger.

“You were saying about 1979 being a hell of a year?” Seren prompted once the ring was in place, grabbing his coat and holding it out to him.

“Right, China invades Vietnam,” The Doctor said, slipping his arms into the coat and putting it on. “The Muppet Movie, love that film. Margaret Thatcher, urgh!” He shuddered theatrically as Seren and Rose laughed, the Welshwoman pulling her hood over her head. “Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb, and I like my thumb.I need my thumb, I’m very attached to…” He opened the door and stepped out, the two women following behind him. Hepaused for a moment as guns cocked around them and the three travellers stopped short and raised their hands in surrender. “My thumb.”

“This explains a lot.” Seren whispered as the three of them looked at the Redcoats aiming the rifles at them.

“ _18_ 79.” The Doctor said in an equally quiet whisper, shifting slightly and almost subconsciously to stand in front of Seren. “Same difference.”

“You will explain your presence.” The officer in charge ordered, sitting astride a black horse. He gestured to Rose with his rifle as he added, “And the nakedness of this girl.”

“Are we in Scotland?” The Doctor asked with a slight grin, speaking in a Scottish accent.

“How can you be ignorant of that?” The same officer, the Captain of the Squadron, asked.

“Oh, I'm - I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this - this wee naked child over hill and over dale.” The Doctor replied, thinking quickly and making up an explanation on the spot. He looked at Rose as he asked, “In't that right, ya… timorous beastie?”

Hearing the Time Lord’s reply to the Captain, as well as his question to Rose, nearly sent Seren into a fit of giggles and she had to press her face into the back of his shoulder to keep her wide smile from being seen.

“Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot.” Rose replied, attempting to imitate the Scottish accent but failing spectacularly.

Seren pressed her face further into the Doctor’s shoulder to contain her giggles as the Time Lord winced at the blonde’s attempt.

“No don’t do that.” The Doctor told her, shaking his head.

“Hoots mon?” She said, still using the terrible accent and her tone implying it as a form of question.

“No, really don't.” The Doctor insisted as Seren took a slight breath and managed to compose herself. “Really.”

“Please don’t.” Seren said, leaning around the Doctor to look at the blonde from beneath her hood.

“Will you identify yourself, sir?” The Captain asked, his tone barely concealing his impatience, as the three turned to him.

“I'm Doctor James McCrimmon,” He said before pointing to Seren, “This is my wife, Seren. We’re from the township of… Balamory. I have my credentials, if I may…?” He gestured towards his pocket and the Captain nodded slightly, the rifle still aimed at them. He withdrew the psychic paper and showed it to the Redcoat soldiers. “As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself.”

“Let them approach.” An upper-class English accented voice called from the carriage.

“I don’t think that’s wise, Ma’am.” The Captain said, reluctant to let the strangers near someone of such importance.

“Let them approach.” The voice repeated.

“You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference.” The Captain said to them warningly.

The Doctor led the two women to the carriage, giving an ‘aye, aye Captain’ gesture in the form of a two-fingered salute to the Captain astride the black horse. As they neared the carriage, a footman opened the door and revealed the Imperial Widow.

Seren’s eyes widened beneath her hood and she gasped softly, grabbing the Doctor’s hand in excitement.

“Seren, Rose, might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith.” The Doctor said, a gentle smile on his face.

“It’s an honour to meet you, your Majesty.” Seren said, removing her hood and curtsying elegantly.

There was a murmur of amazement from the soldiers when Seren’s stunning features were revealed, the contrast her appearance held to that of the locals.

“And you as well, Lady McCrimmon.” Queen Victoria replied, taking in the young woman’s breath-taking beauty and nodding regally as Seren straightened once more.

“Rose Tyler, Ma’am.” Rose said, curtsying as well. “And my apologies… for being so naked.”

“I've had five daughters, it's nothing to me.” Queen Victoria replied unfazed, turning to the Time Lord. “But you, Doctor - show me these credentials.” The Doctor handed the psychic paper to her and she took the bill-fold and studied it for a moment before looking back at him. “Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector.”

“Does it?” The Doctor muttered for a moment, stumped before nodding in agreement. “Yes, it does! Good! Good!” He took the psychic paper back and pocketed it. “Um… then let me ask – why is your Majesty travelling by road when there is a train all the way to Aberdeen?”

“A tree on the line.” The Queen stated in response.

“An accident?” Seren asked, turning the Queen’s attention to her.

“I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.” Queen Victoria told Seren with a small smile. “Everything around me tends to be planned.”

“An assassination attempt?” Seren asked in clarification and the Queen nodded in reply.

“What, seriously? There's people out to kill ya?” Rose asked in dismay.

Seren barely managed to hold back her eyeroll at the naivety of the question. The Queen raised an eyebrow at Rose, also seeing the question as somewhat naïve.

“I’m quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun.” The Queen said matter-of-factly.

“Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence.” The Captain said, drawing their attention to him. “We've sent word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow.”

“This Doctor, his wife and their “timorous beastie” will come with us.” The Queen proclaimed.

“Yes, Ma’am.” The Captain replied. “We’d better get moving, it’s almost nightfall.”

“Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts.” The Queen said in agreement.

“Wolves, your Majesty?” Seren asked softly, looking up at the Imperial Widow with interest.

“Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think.” The Queen replied, almost dismissive except for the twinkle in her grey eyes. Seren nodded in response and stepped back so the footman could close the carriage door. “Would you care to join me in the carriage, Lady McCrimmon?”

Seren looked up at the Queen in wide-eyed surprise and looked at the Doctor. He nodded with a bright smile on his lips while Rose looked at her with amazement at receiving such an offer.

“I would be honoured, your Majesty.” Seren replied to the Queen’s offer, turning to face the Imperial Widow and curtsying once more.

The footman stepped forward and helped Seren into the carriage and seated next to the Queen.

“Very good.” The Queen said once Seren was settled into the coach.

“What about Rose and James?” Seren asked, looking at the two that were still standing outside.

“They will be walking with the soldiers behind the carriage, Lady McCrimmon.” The Captain replied and Seren nodded in response.

“Drive on!” The Queen ordered, and the footman closed the door and the carriage began moving along the bumpy terrain.

The Queen studied Seren for a moment, taking in the young woman’s grace and beauty, as well as the strange colour of her eyes – the colour of amethyst jewels and rimmed with gold.

“You are quite the radiant beauty, Lady McCrimmon. Your husband is very blessed.” The Queen said after a few moments of studying the younger woman.

Seren blushed delicately at the compliment and bowed her head.

“Thank you, Ma’am. But I believe I am the one who is blessed to have his love.” Seren said softly, silently wishing that her words were true.

The Queen smiled softly at her words.

“Tell me, how did you and your husband come by the naked child?” The Queen asked, wanting to know how the elegant lady before her came by Rose.

Seren winced slightly at the question.

“The child is my god-sister, my sister in all but blood.” Seren replied quietly. “Her family took my twin sister and I in after our parents passed when she was very young. After her mother passed away, she was raised by her brother, but she was left in my husband and my care after he too passed. And no man wants her.”

“Do not fret, dear girl. She will learn.” The Queen said reassuringly, patting Seren’s hand gently. “Your accent differs from your husband and your god-sister. Why is that?”

“I was raised in Wales, Cardiff to be precise, while Rose was raised in London town.” Seren replied.

She tried to keep the story vague but as close to the truth as possible but still had to invent an imaginary brother to explain Rose’s attire and mannerisms. In the Victorian Era, no woman would allow her daughter to behave or dress the way Rose currently was, regardless of station or class.

“I see.” The Queen said softly.

They soon came to a stop as the royal procession pulled into Sir Robert’s home. The footman opened the carriage door and helped Queen Victoria down before helping Seren. As the Queen stepped down from the carriage, a man emerged from the house, followed by an older, bald man dressed as a butler. Seren stepped down from the carriage behind the Queen, and as soon as she was on the ground, the Welshwoman joined Rose and the Doctor, the Time Lord taking her hand in his own.

“Your Majesty.” The first man said, bowing respectfully when he came to a stop in front of the Queen.

“Sir Robert.” The Queen said with a gentle smile. “My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?”

“She's… indisposed, I'm afraid.” Sir Robert replied after a hesitant pause. He looked nervous despite the welcoming appearance. “She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her - the kitchens are barely stocked.” He chuckled faintly as the Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly and Seren’s attention was drawn to the bald man, something about him unsettled her. “I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on.”

Seren and the Doctor glanced at each other and exchanged looks, it was almost as if Sir Robert would rather the Queen stay away for some reason.

“Oh, not at all.” The Queen replied with a slight laugh. “I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is… charming… if rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?” She paused for a moment before adding as an afterthought, “And please excuse the naked girl.”

“Sorry!” Rose said with a sheepish smile.

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Seren squeezed his hand in warning before stepping forward slightly, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

“My god-sister is a feral child.” Seren said with a gentle, apologetic smile as she aimed her words to Sir Robert in particular. “She was brought up by her brother following the passing of her parents and my getting married. So, please excuse her behaviour.”

Seren curtsied slightly to Sir Robert and he gave a tight smile, bowing slightly to her.

“Thinks she’s funny but I’m so not amused.” Rose commented, looking pointedly at the Queen. “What do you think, Ma’am?”

“It hardly matters.” The Queen replied, giving the blonde an unimpressed look. She turned to Sir Robert, saying, “Shall we proceed?”

Sir Robert nodded and turned around, leading the Queen inside.

“So close.” Rose muttered to the Doctor who grinned at her.

Seren looked them in confusion as the Doctor put his arm around her waist.

“Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the property, hurry up.” The Captain ordered, still sitting atop his horse.

“Yes, sir.” The two soldiers said.

The footman opened the carriage and one of the soldiers withdrew a small locked box.

“So what’s in there, then?” The Doctor asked interestedly, gesturing towards the box that the two soldiers were carrying into the house.

“Property of the Crown.” The Captain replied briskly. “You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir.” The Doctor looked at the two women beside him and made a face at the order as the Captain looked to his men and began issuing orders. “The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions.”

“You heard the orders. Positions!” One of the soldiers said as they dispersed and headed for their positions.

“Sir.” Another said to the Doctor, nodding towards the house.

The Doctor let go of Seren’s waist and instead offered her his arm. She smiled radiantly up at him as she hooked her arm through his and they walked into the house. They quickly caught up with the Queen and Sir Robert and made their way into an Observatory. A handful of the male staff members followed them in and stood in front of the door.

“This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour.” The Queen said.

She had a hint of wonder in her tone as she looked at the massive bronze telescope that stood in the middle of the room, pointing out towards the slowly darkening sky.

“All my father's work. Built by hand, in his final years.” Sir Robert said softly. “Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house, or himself.”

“I wish I’d met him, I like him.” The Doctor commented with a grin, looking at the telescope. “That thing’s beautiful. Can I… um?” He gestured towards the telescope as he looked at Sir Robert.

“Help yourself.” Sir Robert said softly, sounding tired and worn out.

Seren, the Doctor and Rose made their way forward to look at the telescope. Seren shot Sir Robert a worried look, wondering what it was that had caused him to sound so tired.

“What did he model it on?” Seren asked, turning her attention to the telescope and examining it and the wheel next to it.

"I know nothing about it.” Sir Robert said, slightly regretful. “To be honest, most of us thought him a little . . . shall we say, eccentric." The Doctor laughed and shot him a dopey grin. “I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories.”

Seren looked at him when she heard the sorrow in his voice, noticing him shoot a regretful look at the Queen.

“I know how that feels.” Seren said softly, looking at him for a moment before turning back to the telescope.

“It's a bit rubbish.” The Doctor commented after a few moments, crouching down and peering through the eyepiece. The comment had Seren nudged him slightly as she gave a slightly apologetic smile to Sir Robert and the Queen. “How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid kind of…” He trailed off as he stood up and Seren nudged him again, harder. The second nudge turned his attention to her and he asked in a quiet whisper, “Am I being rude again?”

“Yes, _Cariad_. You are.” Seren replied, nodding and smiling up at him.

The Doctor turned back and looked at Sir Robert and the Queen, smiling widely.

“But it’s pretty! It’s very… pretty.” He said lamely, putting a hand on the telescope.

Seren smiled and patted his arm fondly for his attempt at trying to make up for being rude.

“And the imagination of it should be applauded.” Queen Victoria said strongly.

“Mmm. I thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty.” Rose said turning to the Queen. “Stargazing. Isn’t it a bit fanciful?” Queen Victoria stared at the blonde coolly. “You could easily… not be amused, or something? No?”

The Doctor shook his head at Rose, smiling vaguely at the blonde while Seren looked at her in confusion. What was with the constant questions about the Queen not being amused? And since when was stargazing fanciful, and since when did Rose start believing that?

“This device surveys the infinite work of God. What could be finer?” The Queen asked Rose coolly. “Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath - steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairy tales.”

“Stars and magic.” Seren said with breathless amazement, looking at the telescope with a fond expression, remembering the times when she used to stargaze with her father when he was off-duty.

“Indeed. I like him more and more.” The Doctor agreed, though his gaze was on Seren with a gentle smile on his face.

“Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company.” The Queen said in remembrance before turning to Rose and adding strongly, “Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe-Coburg.”

“That’s Bavaria.” Seren whispered to Rose, having turned to them when the Queen had begun speaking.

The Queen turned her attention from Rose to Sir Robert.

“When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported.” She said to him.

“So, what’s this wolf, then?” The Doctor asked, standing behind Seren.

“It’s just a story.” Sir Robert replied, shrugging.

“Then please tell it.” Seren said, looking at their host.

He looked around uncomfortably.

“It’s said that -” Sir Robert started haltingly only to be cut off.

“Excuse me, sir…” The bald butler interrupted. “Perhaps her Majesty’s party could repair to their rooms. It’s almost dark.”

“Of course.” Sir Robert said with a nervous smile. “Yes, of course.”

"And then supper.” The Queen said before looking at Rose and adding as an afterthought. “And . . . could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler?” At the Queen’s question, Rose tugged at her hem uncomfortably. “I'm tired of nakedness."

“It’s not amusing, is it?” Rose asked pointedly.

Seren managed to hold back the desire to face-palm but couldn’t hold back her eyeroll at the blonde’s question. The Queen glanced at Rose before turning back to Sir Robert, deciding to ignore the blonde. The Doctor muttered something to Rose and she poked him in the chest in response, the by-play causing Seren to raise an eyebrow, wondering what they were up to.

“Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at 7 and talk some more of this wolf.” The Queen ordered. “After all, there is a full moon tonight.”

“So there is, Ma’am.” Sir Robert said quietly.

He bowed, and the Queen exited the Observatory, followed by Seren, the Doctor and Rose, the ‘couple’ once more arm-in-arm. The party was led to their rooms, Seren and the Doctor in one while the Queen was in another, and Rose was led to one several corridors away by the butler.

“What are the two of you up to?” Seren asked the Doctor once their room door was closed, the Time Lord wasting no time in removing his coat and tossing it on the bed

“What do you mean?” He asked, returning to his London accent as flopped back on the bed with his arms folded beneath his head and his ankles crossed.

“I mean Rose constantly asking those pointed questions about Queen Victoria not being amused.” Seren replied, removing her cloak and draping it over the footboard of the bed.

She took the Doctor’s coat and draped it neatly over the footboard as well, next to her cloak.

“Rose bet me 10 quid she could get the Queen to say, ‘I’m not amused’.” The Doctor replied with a manic grin.

Seren groaned and shook her head in exasperation.

“You two will make me go grey faster that the kids.” She muttered with sigh.  “So what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?” She looked pointedly at the one bed in the room as she asked her question. “We can be adults and share the bed or one of us can sleep on the floor.”

“What do you have in mind?” He asked, sitting up and looking at her earnestly.

“I’m exhausted. I’ll sleep anywhere.” Seren replied, and as if on cue, a yawn escaped her mouth that she hurriedly covered.

“You’re still worried about Mica and David.” The Doctor commented, realizing that the exhaustion wasn’t just from the sleepless nights at Christmas, but rather the children’s behaviour in the days that followed.

Seren sighed and sat on the bed next to him, removing her heels and curling her legs under her.

“Doctor, _James_ ,” She started, rolling her eyes slightly when she used his cover name. “David _asked_ if the bad people were going to come again. Both of them refused to sleep unless we were both there, Mica refusing to even take her naps unless we were the ones to put her to sleep.”

She broke off with a choked sob and the Doctor put his arms around her, drawing her into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly.

“It’s okay. They’re okay.” He said soothingly, tucking her head beneath his chin.

She pulled away and looked at him, her gold-rimmed amethyst eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Are we doing the right thing?” She asked softly. “Leaving them alone to face the fear of losing us? You are their Uncle just as much as I am their Aunt, and they love you.”

“Hey,” He said softly, gently wiping away the few tears that fell from her eyes with the pads of his thumbs. “What was it that you say when we leave after a visit home?”

“Always by each other, always together, always and forever.” Seren replied softly.

“Exactly. And what did you say it meant?”

“No matter what, no matter where, we are never alone.”

“So what makes you think that the kids are alone?” He asked, speaking softly. “They have Rhi, Johnny, Mickey, Siwan, Adam and Jackie. They even have Adam’s friends - the Immortals like Duncan and Amanda and the Watchers like Joe.”

“You’re right.” Seren said with a nod, sniffling slightly. “Can we go see them after we leave here?”

“Absolutely.” The Doctor replied with a gentle smile. He looked at his watch and turned back to her. “We better get to the dining room, it’s almost 7.”

Seren nodded and got off the bed, slipping her heeled boots back on and going to look in the mirror. She wiped away her tears, digging through her bigger-on-the-inside drawstring bag for a brush and a case of compact powder.

The bag was one that she had embroidered herself; taking a plain purple bag that had been in the Wardrobe and embroidering it, during a time when they were just drifting through the Vortex with no particular destination in mind and she wanted to do something other than read.

 “I thought you don’t wear make-up.” The Doctor commented with a frown, getting off the bed and leaning against the bedpost, watching her.

“It’s not make-up. It’s powder.” Seren replied, proceeding to brush small amounts of the press-powder on her face to conceal any trace of her tears.

“Don’t see the difference.” He said, shaking his head.

“Males.” Seren muttered, shaking her head. “No matter the species, males are males are males.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, slightly affronted.

“Nothing.” Seren said breezily, cleaning the brush before putting it and the compact back in her bag. She stood up and turned to him. “Shall we, my husband?”

“We shall, my wife.” He said in the Scottish accent with a grin on his face, offering his arm to her.

She took it and they walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. They made their way to the dining room, passing the bald butler who had lead Rose to her room.

“Sir, would you be so kind to guide my god-sister to the dining room?” Seren asked, looking up at the bald man. “I’m afraid she isn’t one for directions.”

As she spoke to him, she got the unsettling feeling again but thought nothing of it, believing it was caused by her concern and worry for the kids.

“Certainly, Lady McCrimmon.” The man replied, bowing his head slightly and turning to walk away.

“What’s your name?” Seren asked curiously, halting him before he could take more than a few steps.

The Doctor smiled slightly at the back of her head, his eyes filled with love for her.

“Angelo, my Lady.” Angelo replied, turning to look at her. “My name is Angelo.”

“Thank you, Angelo.” Seren said with a radiant smile.

He bowed and turned, walking away. Seren and the Doctor resumed their walk to the dining room, arriving just as the Queen did. They sat in the middle of the long dining table, candelabras lit at regular intervals to light up the room, with the Queen and the Captain on one side while Seren the Doctor and Sir Robert sat across from them.

They began to eat, enjoying the meal that was prepared, making small talk in-between bites.

“Tell me, Doctor McCrimmon, how is it that you met your beautiful wife?” Queen Victoria asked, taking a sip from her goblet and looking at the couple sitting across from her.

Seren and the Doctor looked at each other, Seren with a small smile on her face and an eyebrow raised as she wondered how he would reply.

“Well, Your Majesty,” The Doctor started, taking Seren’s hand and turning to look at the Queen. “I had been witness to her dancing in the rain one day, when I was on holiday from University following my first year. She paid no heed to her god-mother’s calls of her possibly getting sick, only enjoying the rain.”

Seren’s eyes widened as she remembered the day he was referring to, obviously changing a few details to suit their cover story; it had actually been on another planet that was experiencing its equivalent of Monsoon season and it had been the Doctor, the previous incarnation, who was calling to her with the warning of getting sick.

He looked back at her, his eyes bright and soft. “I knew then that she was the one I was going to marry.”

Seren looked at him with wide eyes, a blush filling her cheeks at the tender look in his eyes.

“That was a long time ago.” Seren said softly, looking up at him – that particular visit had occurred in the planet’s past, a good century or so earlier.

“And you, Lady McCrimmon?” The Queen asked, turning her gaze to the blushing young woman.

“Well, it was some time later.” Seren said softly, turning to look at the Queen. “James had gotten very sick and none knew if he would survive. By that time, we were already very good friends, but-” She broke off for a moment, remembering the uncertainty and the fear surrounding his regeneration. The Doctor took her hand, realizing the moment she was referring to. “But seeing him, laying on the bed and not knowing if I would ever see him smile again, see his eyes light up when he discovered something new… That was when I knew that I was in love with this man.”

She looked up at the Time Lord, her large eyes filled with love. He smiled down at her, the same expression on his face.

Of course, both believed that the other was simply adding a few spices to the stories to make the tales believable as the beginnings of a love story, neither realizing that it was true nor realizing that it was love being reflected back in the other’s eyes – the Doctor realized he was in love with Seren when he saw her dancing in the rain on a planet far away, over a century in the past while Seren realized she was in love with the Doctor when he was suffering from his regeneration going wrong.

“That is very sweet.” Sir Robert said softly, looking at the couple beside him.

They turned and smiled at him, Seren still sporting a radiant blush on her cheeks. She turned around when she heard the side door open, squeezing the Doctor’s hand tightly when she saw Angelo return without Rose.

“Where’s Rose?” Seren asked, concern etched on her face and the blush fading from her cheeks. “Is everything all right?”

The Doctor squeezed her hand gently and her suddenly tense posture relaxed, though the concern was still etched on her fair features.

“Your god-sister begs an apology, Lady McCrimmon. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her.” Angelo told the worried woman.

The concern faded from Seren’s features and was once more replaced by her beautiful smile.

“Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham.” The Doctor said cheerfully, grinning at Angelo.

Seren poked the Doctor in the shoulder at the comment and he turned his grin on her.

“The feral child could probably eat it raw.” The Queen sassed.

The comment caused Seren to giggle slightly. The Queen looked at her and gave small smile at the bell-like sound that escaped the beautiful Welshwoman’s lips.

“Very wise, Ma’am!” The Captain said, laughing loudly. “Very witty!”

Seren raised her eyebrow at the Captain, his laugh drowning out the sound of her giggles, as the Queen gave him a cool look.

“Slightly witty, perhaps.” Queen Victoria said in a cool tone to match her expression as she looked at the Captain. “I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited. I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury.”

Seren and the Doctor exchanged small smirks, barely managing to keep their amusement hidden.

“Yes, Ma’am. Sorry, Ma’am.” The Captain said meekly, looking back at his plate.

“James, perhaps I should check on Rose.” Seren said quietly, looking at her ‘husband’. “It shouldn’t take this long to get dressed.” He raised an incredulous eyebrow at her. “I do not take this long to get dressed.” She said in indignantly, catching sight of his expression.

“I’m… not saying anything.” The Doctor said, wisely deciding not to argue with the feisty woman beside him. “She’ll be fine, Seren. Rose is a big girl.”

“What if she found herself lost? What if she has gotten hurt? What if she found herself in trouble?” Seren asked, slowly working up towards being worried.

Seren wasn’t one to normally get worked up, however the events that occurred on New Earth combined with her still being tired, she wasn’t her usual unflappable self.

The Queen, the Captain and Sir Robert watched the ‘couple’. The Captain wondered why the young lady was so concerned about the naked child, before realizing that it must have to do with the girl being in their care and the responsibility that was placed on her delicate shoulders.

Seren let out a breath as the Doctor put his hand on the back of her neck calmingly, the motion having always calmed her down whenever she would get worked up.

“I’m being silly, am I not?” Seren asked him softly, looking up into his soulful chocolate brown eyes.

“No, you’re being you.” He replied, his voice equally soft and his hand still on the back of her neck. “Do you want to go check on her?”

Seren paused for a moment before replying.

“No, she’ll be all right.” She said, shaking her head slightly. “She knows where we are.” She paused for a moment before adding as an afterthought, “I hope.”

“Her sense of direction is worse than yours.” The Doctor commented, removing his hand from her neck and straightening in his chair.

He sent the Queen, who was watching them with amusement, a slight grin. The Queen raised an eyebrow at the look and smiled ever so slightly, realizing that the man was doing it on purpose to calm his wife’s worry.

“Ay! I’m not that bad!” Seren said indignantly, glaring at him. Her expression turned from indignant to thoughtful. “Am I?” She paused for a moment before saying, “On second thought, do not answer that.”

“As you wish.” He said with a grin before turning to Sir Robert. “I believe we’re all waiting on Sir Robert. Come, sir. You promised us a tale of nightmares.”

“Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction.” The Queen agreed, turning her attention from the young couple to their host, her tone carrying the echo of her sorrow.

“You must miss him.” Seren said softly.

She looked at the Queen sitting across from her with gentleness and compassion in her large eyes.

“Very much.” The Queen replied quietly, turning to look at the young woman. The Imperial Widow looked at the stunning Welshwoman, though her thoughts were many years in the past and her eyes incredibly sad. “Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the… hope of some contact with the great beyond.” The Doctor and Seren looked at her intensely, understanding exactly what she was feeling – albeit on different levels as they thought about those they had lost. “We all want some message from that place. It's the Creator's greatest mystery that we're allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent… and we must wait.”

She shook her head, shaking herself out of her melancholy thoughts and smiling slightly. Seren and the Doctor were still lost in their thoughts, the Time Lord thinking of his Companions and his people and the Chosen One thinking of her family and loved ones.

Seren shook herself out of her thoughts as the Doctor looked down, the guilt and sorrow warring within him. She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

“You’re not alone, I’m here with you.” She said quietly when he turned to look at her. “You have me and the family. _Our_ family.”

He smiled slightly, the sorrow and guilt slowly fading from his eyes. She smiled compassionately at him and reached up, kissing his cheek softly.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the knuckles and holding it there. They gazed into each other’s eyes, both expressing what they could not and feared to say – the Doctor showing his gratitude and Seren showing her acceptance, both showing their love for one another though neither realized the latter.

So lost in each other, they did not see the picture they made or the gentle smiles that the Queen and Sir Robert shot them, the latter’s glance filled with sorrow as well.

A sudden clattering startled them from their trance and they turned towards the sound, the Doctor lowering Seren’s hand to the table while keeping hold of it as a delicate red blush spread across her snow-white cheeks. The sound was the Captain, dropping his spoon and as the table’s occupants turned to him, he looked around apologetically. The Queen and Sir Robert looked at him with decidedly cool expressions while the Captain himself looked as though he would give anything for the floor to open him up and swallow him.

“Come, begin your tale, Sir Robert.” The Queen said, drawing attention away from the embarrassed Captain and the young couple. At her request, the rest turned to their host as well, equally interested in hearing the tale. “There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters.”

Seren winced slightly at the Queen’s use of the word ‘monster’, knowing that the worst monsters were the ones who wore the face of loved ones. The Doctor gently squeezed Seren’s hand reassuringly as they looked at their host.

“The story goes back three hundred years.” Sir Robert began. “Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and… devoured.”

“Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves.” The Captain said unworriedly, his embarrassment fading to give way to dismissiveness at the tale. “Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that.”

The Queen turned to the Captain, a mildly irritated expression on her regal face. Seren looked at the Captain, a similarly irritated expression on her own face.

“But sometimes a child goes missing.” Sir Robert said, drawing the two women’s attention back to him.

“A child?” Seren asked, intrigue and alarm warring for dominance on her fair features.

“Once in a generation, a boy will vanish from his homestead.” Sir Robert explained, looking at Seren.

His expression showed that he fully believed his own words, despite the apparent impracticality of it; it wasn’t just a superstition to him, or a way to disguise the work of thieves or other criminal acts, it was real.

“Are there descriptions of the creature?” The Doctor asked.

“Oh, yes, Doctor.” Sir Robert replied, looking at him. “Drawings and woodcarvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal.”

“A werewolf.” Seren breathed in complete amazement as the Doctor leaned forward interestedly and letting go of Seren’s hand.

“My father didn't treat it as a story.” Sir Robert continued. “He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose. I should have listened.” He looked regretful as glanced at Angelo. Sir Robert began to speak quickly, almost as though he didn’t have enough time. “His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations.”

Behind them, Angelo silently moved to the window, his attention caught by something outside, and began chanting quietly.

“Perhaps they thought his work ungodly.” The Queen said.

“That’s what I thought. But know I wonder…” Sir Robert said quietly, glancing back at Angelo for a moment before looking at the Doctor and Seren. The two looked at the butler as well while their host continued speaking, “What if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet? What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?”

“And what if they were with us right now?” The Doctor asked, straightening in his chair and facing the chanting butler completely.

At the Doctor’s question, they all turned to the chanting man at the window and the room erupted into chaos.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Queen demanded to know, rising to her feet followed by the Captain.

“Explain yourself, Sir Robert!” The Captain exclaimed at the same time, drawing his gun and pointing it at the man.

“I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife.” Sir Robert said to the Queen apologetically.

“Rose!” Seren exclaimed, looking around the room and realising that the blonde still hadn’t appeared. She turned to the chanting man in fury. “Where is Rose? Where is my god-sister, Angelo? Where is she?” She yelled at him.

She made a move towards him when he didn’t stop chanting, fury pouring off her in tangible waves, but the Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist, picking her up and carrying her towards the door.

“Sir Robert, come on!” The Time Lord yelled, losing his Scottish accent and reverting back to his London one.

The Time Lord led Sir Robert out of the dining room, his arm still wrapped around Seren’s waist as he all but carried her out while the Captain kept his revolver trained on the chanting man. The Queen stood back, her path to the door blocked.

The Doctor let go of Seren’s waist and took her hand as the two of them and Sir Robert ran down the corridors.

“It is possible, Lady McCrimmon, that your god-sister is in the cellar with the others that are being held.” Sir Robert said as he led them down the maze of corridors.

They ran to the cellar, hearing screams coming from that area as they got closer. They reached the cellar door and the Doctor kicked it open, the three racing inside and seeing Rose, Lady Isobel and the rest of the Estate staff picking themselves up off the ground, a broken chain hook by the door.

“Where the hell have you two been?” Rose asked them frantically when she saw them.

The Doctor and Seren’s attention was drawn to the growling from behind them. They whirled around and were greeted by the growling werewolf. The werewolf grabbed the bars of its cage and rattled them, snarling at the people in the cellar.

“Oh, that’s beautiful.” The Doctor breathed in amazement.

“Oh, you poor creature.” Seren breathed, stepping closer to the cage as the wolf tore the bars on one side of the cage.

The wolf turned and looked at her with a snarl, stopping abruptly as it stared into her gold-rimmed eyes. Its eyes widened ever so slightly, taking in the burning light behind the amethyst orbs, the light burning like the Sun, as the woman took another step closer to the wolf.

“Go! Go, get out!” Sir Robert yelled, herding the hostages out of the cellar. “All of you!”

It roared suddenly, startling Seren out of her almost trance-like state. The werewolf broke through the remaining bars and threw the cage off, roaring fiercely. Seren stumbled backward with a gasp, tripping over the chain that was on the floor behind her and falling to the dusty ground.

The Doctor grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder as he ran out of the cellar as well, herding the stragglers.

“Out! Out! Out!” The Time Lord yelled, one hand holding Seren over his shoulder and using the other to push the stragglers out.

The werewolf, free of its cage, roared powerfully and stood straight, tossing the top of its cage at the Doctor, narrowly missing the Time Lord and the precious cargo he carried. The Doctor ran out of the cellar, closing the door behind him and put Seren down, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and using it to sonick the door locked.

“I don’t think sonicking the door is going to stop him!” Seren yelled, the roaring heard through the closed door.

“Probably not, but it will buy us some time!” The Doctor yelled back as he pocketed the screwdriver and took her hand.

The two ran down the corridor, following the sounds of the former hostages towards the gun room.

“What is it with you and running, Mad Man?” Seren asked with a laugh, adrenalin and exhilaration pumping through her.

Behind them, they heard the werewolf howl, the sound echoing around them.

“It’s exhilarating, isn’t it?” He asked, the same exhilaration pumping through him.

“Oh, yes!” She replied, one hand in his and the other holding up her skirt as she ran, her drawstring bag hanging from her wrist. “Just promise me that once in a while we’ll have a quiet adventure, without the running.”

“I promise.” He said instantly as the two looked at each other with matching bright grins.

They entered the gun room just as the Steward was handing out the weapons to the male staff members.

“At arms.” The older man said to the men. “Ready everyone?” The men nodded and checked their guns as the Steward turned to Lady Isobel. “Lady Isobel, take the girls! Get them through the kitchen.”

Lady Isobel hurried to her husband, a frantic and worried expression on her face. Seren and the Doctor hurried to Rose, the Time Lord using the sonic screwdriver on the blonde’s cuffs. Seren had her hand on the blonde’s shoulder, needing that tactile sensation to reassure herself that her beloved god-sister was alive and with them.

“All of you! At my side! Come on!” Lady Isobel called to the maids, who followed her out of the kitchen as she tried to lead them to safety.

“It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths.” The Doctor said quickly as he unlocked one cuff and moved to the next.

“Did it say what it wanted?” Seren asked, turning her attention to her god-sister, watching as the Doctor worked on the second cuff.

“The Queen, the Crown, the throne - you name it.” Rose replied as the second cuff unlocked, rubbing her unshackled wrists to try and remove the phantom feeling of the shackles.

There was a crash in the hallway, the sound of something bursting through a wooden door. The Doctor quickly and cautiously went out to investigate, tucking his screwdriver back in his pocket as he stepped into the hallway. Seren followed him out, staying behind his arm as they saw the werewolf make its way out of the cellar and stand at the other end of the hallway.

“I knew that locking the door wasn’t going to stop him.” Seren muttered with a groan, not looking away from the sight of the wolf.

“It bought us some time, didn’t it?” The Doctor pointed out quietly over his shoulder, also not looking away from the wolf.

For a single moment, the Doctor and Seren stared at the werewolf with it staring back. It snapped its sharp jaws at them, growling.

“Time to go!” Seren cried as the Doctor grabbed her hand, the two of them turning and running back into the gun room.

Seren grabbed Rose’s hand while the Steward and the male staff members took up a firing line position in front of the trio and Sir Robert.

“Fire!” The Steward ordered.

The line of men fired their guns, most directly hitting the werewolf in the chest as it roared and stumbled backward.

“No! Don’t shoot him!” Seren yelled, her heart aching for the poor being she believed was cursed to an unimaginable fate.

“Fire!” The Steward ordered, ignoring the Welshwoman’s plea.

The men fired again and continued to fire, filling the room the smoky and dusty residue of the late 19th Century weapons. At each blast, Rose flinched, burying her head into Seren’s shoulder and covering her ears against the sound. Seren and the Doctor wrapped their arms around the younger woman, as though trying to protect her from the blasts yet failing as she flinched at each one.

Several seconds later, though to the time-travelling trio it could have been an Age, the men lowered their guns as the smoke obscured their sight. Rose lowered her hands and looked up as they all peered through the smoke, trying to see the wolf that there was no sign of.

“All right, you men. We should retreat upstairs.” The Doctor said to them, taking charge. “Come with me.”

“I’ll not retreat.” The Steward said, lowering his gun and turning to look at the Doctor. “The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault.”

“That may be so, but that creature isn’t from Earth!” Seren yelled, trying to get the stubborn man to listen to them. She had her arms around Rose, who was trembling ever so slightly, the echoes of the gunfire still ringing in the blonde’s ears as she peaked out over her god-sister’s arms to look at the scene before her.

Predictably, the Steward ignored her.

“I’m telling you, come upstairs!” The Doctor yelled angrily, letting go of the two women and stepping forward.

“And I'm telling you, sir, I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall.” The Steward said firmly. He strode forward and looked out into the hallway before turning and walking back towards the watching group, triumph on his features. “It must have crawled away to die-”

They watched in horror as he was hoisted clean up through the ceiling by the wolf. Rose gasped in horror and Seren tucked the younger woman’s face back into her shoulder as they heard the Steward being devoured by the wolf, growling as it did so. Seren and the Doctor looked at each other over Rose’s head, the Chosen One staring at the Time Lord with wide eyes as she bit her lip and tried not to scream as she felt the man die.

Following the mass murder of the Sycorax, the Doctor and Idris had been working with her and Siwan to form and keep psychic shields around their minds so that they wouldn’t experience such a feedback again. However, it had only been roughly 2 – 3 weeks linearly, so the shields weren’t very strong, even for fast learners like the twins.

“There’s nothing we can do.” The Doctor called regretfully, grabbing Rose’s hand and ushering the slightly shocked girl out of the gun room, Seren holding the blonde’s other hand.

Sir Robert followed behind the three of them, the rest of the men staying behind to stall the creature long enough for them to get away. The group of four ran down the corridor, trying to ignore the screams and pain of the dying men. They ran through another door and into a corridor, the Doctor closing and sonicking it locked behind them.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty!” Sir Robert called loudly, looking up the adjoining staircase as the Queen came into view.

“Sir Robert? What’s happening?” The Queen asked frantically, hurrying down the stairs, holding her skirt up with one hand and holding the railing with the other. “I heard such terrible noises.”

“Your Majesty, we've got to get out.” Sir Robert said gently as the Queen reached the final step. The Doctor ran out through the other door in the room to check on the status of the other doors nearby. “But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?”

The Queen looked to the side for a second before looking back at the noble.

“Captain Reynolds disposed of him.” She said.

Seren raised an eyebrow at the response, recognizing the signs of a lie. It hadn’t been Captain Reynolds that ‘disposed’ of Father Angelo, it had been the Queen – after six attempts on her life, Seren wouldn’t be surprised if the Imperial Widow carried a gun around in her purse.

“The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut.” The Doctor announced as he came back into the room and stopped by the staircase. He turned and looked at the Queen. “Pardon me, Your Majesty. You'll have to leg it out of a window.”

He gestured towards the door he had just came through and Queen Victoria obliged, her head held high as she elegantly led the group to the nearest room with a window leading outside.

“Excuse my manners, Ma'am,” Sir Robert said as they walked into the drawing room and overtaking the Queen, turning to look at her as he explained his actions. “But I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress.”

“A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh.” The Queen replied.

Seren groaned quietly, they did not have time for this.

“Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?” The Doctor asked impatiently, clearly thinking the same thing as Seren.

Sir Robert nodded and turned, climbing on to the window sill. He opened the window and immediately had to dodge the bullets that the monks outside fired at him. He slammed the widow shut once more and slid of the sill, crouching as the monks fired several more bullets. The rest of them ducked as well as the bullets ricocheted off the stone walls of the building.

Once the monks stopped firing, Sir Robert peaked out with the Doctor joining him, their eyes going wide at the sight of the monks standing at regular intervals on guard duty.

“I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside.” The Time Lord commented.

“Wonderful, there is more of them. Absolutely wonderful.” Seren said, a touch sarcastic.

“Do they know who I am?” The Queen asked indignantly.

“Yeah, that's why they want ya.” Rose said absently. The Queen whipped around to look at her in shock. “The wolf's lined you up for a… a biting.”

“Now stop this talk.” Queen Victoria said firmly. “There can't be an actual wolf.”

The very next second they heard a howl echo through the Estate. They all jumped at the sound, turning towards the door they had just come through.

“Oh, yes there can, Your Majesty!” Seren yelled as they ran out of the drawing room and back to the staircase corridor they were just in.

They looked towards the door they the Doctor had sonicked locked, the wolf on the other side and battering against it. The wood began splintering, indicating that it wasn’t long before the wolf would be able to come through.

“What do we do?” Rose asked frantically.

“We… run!” The Doctor exclaimed, not having any other ideas.

“Is that it?!” Rose asked incredulously.

“Do you have any silver bullets?” Seren asked, turning to look at her.

“Not on me, no!” Rose replied, slightly snappily.

“There we are then, we run.” The Doctor said, looking at the blonde before turning to the Queen. “Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog.” He jogged on the spot in demonstration. “Good for the health. Come on!”

He held his hand out to her and she took it, the Time Lord promptly leading the group up the staircase. They were near the top when the wolf broke through the door and began following them up.

“Come on! Come on!” The Doctor yelled as they reached the second floor and ran down the corridor.

They turned the corner as the wolf reached the top of the staircase and followed them through the maze of corridors. The Queen panted as she ran, holding her skirts up with both hands, the fear and the adrenalin pumping through her keeping her moving.

They had just reached the end of another corridor when Rose tripped and fell, the wolf nearly on top of her, when Captain Reynolds appeared with his revolver in hand.

The Doctor grabbed Rose and hauled her to her feet, the group turning the corner as the Captain shot the wolf. The wolf growled and reeled backward down the corridor. The Captain ducked around the corridor and leaned against the wall as Rose, Sir Robert and Queen Victoria caught their breaths, Seren holding the blonde girl. Seren and the Doctor were the only ones not out of breath – the Doctor due to his Time Lord physiology and Seren due to her endurance from a lifetime of sports and athletics.

“I'll take this position and hold it.” The Captain said, reloading his gun and glancing up at them. “You keep moving, for God's sake!” He looked at the Queen as he said, “Your Majesty, I went to look for the property and it was taken. The chest was empty.”

“I have it.” The Queen said, as reassuring as possible while panting for breath. “It’s safe.”

“Then remove yourself, Ma'am.” The Captain said, looking at her with a gentle expression before turning to the Doctor. “Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert,” He looked at the panting noble. “You're a traitor to the crown.”

The Captain cocked his gun and nodded at them.

“Ordinary bullets can’t stop it!” Seren exclaimed.

The Captain turned and looked at the beautiful Welshwoman with a stern grimace, his expression saying he was well aware of the fact.

“They’ll buy you time, my Lady.” He replied. “Now run!”

He positioned himself back at the end of the corridor they had just been running through, holding his gun at the ready. Queen Victoria and Sir Robert began running down the hall in the opposite direction, Rose, Seren and the Doctor behind them.

Seren slowed down to a stop and turned back to look at the Captain. She watched him for a second before shaking her head.

“Oh, of all the crazy things Seren, this has to be the craziest.” She muttered to herself as she ran back to the brave Captain.

She grabbed his arms, getting his attention.

“My Lady, you should be running with your husband!” He yelled, looking at her with wide eyes.

“I’ve been running with him for a long time.” She said, earning a confused look from the man as she took the gun from his hand and pushed him down the hall, in the direction of the others.

“Lady McCrimmon?!” He exclaimed in shock when he saw her take the position he had been in. “What are you doing?”

“Go!” She yelled as the sound of the wolf’s growls got louder. “Just run!”

He hesitated for a moment and she looked at him, her large eyes that once looked so innocent now held unimaginable pain and the desire to protect as many of them as possible.

“Please be safe, my Lady.” He said softly before turning and running down the hall, going against his every instinct to send the Lady to safety and to stall the creature as long as possible.

Seren reached beneath her skirt and withdrew one of her Bo-Staffs from her garter, sliding it open and holding it in her left hand while she held the gun in her right. The wolf reappeared at the other end of the corridor and bounded towards her before stopping a foot away.

Seren looked at it as it looked at her. Its eyes widened slightly, and it whimpered almost in fear, seeing the burning light in her eyes once more – the light that burned like the Sun.

Seren frowned as the wolf whimpered and lowered her gun slightly as she took in the sounds the wolf was making. It was as though it was afraid for some reason – afraid of her. She looked down at her hands, seeing the gold shimmer in her veins that was concealed to everyone who didn’t know about it and wondered if the fear was because of her, because of Bad Wolf. She looked back at the wolf and decided to try something, silently praying it would work and apologizing to Rose and the Doctor if it didn’t.

She opened her mouth and began to sing, her voice was sweet and melodic, soothing and comforting.

_“Holl amrantau'r sêr ddywedant_

_Ar hyd y nos_

_‘Dyma'r ffordd i fro gogoniant,’_

_Ar hyd y nos.”_

As she sang, she retracted her Bo-Staff and put it in her drawstring bag that she had hanging from her wrist, tossing the gun to the side. She watched the wolf as it stood still and listened to the lullaby her Nan used to sing to her as a child.

_“Golau arall yw tywyllwch_

_I arddangos gwir brydferthwch_

_Teulu'r nefoedd mewn tawelwch_

_Ar hyd y nos.”_

She walked backwards slowly, still singing to keep the wolf distracted from her movements. In the library doorway, Rose stood still as she listened to the sweet song her god-sister was singing, the Doctor’s anger at the woman’s decision to stay and buy them time fading for the moment.

Rose had tears in her eyes, remembering the last time that the twins had sung, over 5 years earlier.

_“O mor siriol, gwena seren_

_Ar hyd y nos_

_I oleuo'i chwaer ddaearen_

_Ar hyd y nos.”_

Seren walked backward towards the Library, the wolf entranced by the song and unaware of her movements.

_“Nos yw henaint pan ddaw cystudd_

_Ond i harddu dyn a'i hwyrddydd_

_Rhown ein golau gwan i'n gilydd_

_Ar hyd y nos.”_

She reached the Library just as she sang the last note and she could hear the wolf waking from its daze with a roar.

“Seren!” The Doctor yelled, grabbing her waist and pulling her inside the room, slamming the door shut behind them. “What were you thinking?!” He yelled, his fury returning.

“Barricade the door!” Sir Robert exclaimed.

“I was thinking of saving that man’s life!” Seren yelled back, glaring up at her ‘husband’.

“By nearly getting yourself killed?!” He yelled back as Sir Robert, Rose and Captain Reynolds barricaded the door.

“Pot meet kettle!” Seren yelled.

The two were so caught up with one another, they didn’t see the shocked expressions on the Queen, Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds’ faces – not only at the shouting match occurring between the couple but the fact that the woman managed to stall the wolf by _singing_ to it.

“Guys!” Rose yelled to the two of them.

“What?!” They yelled back angrily, turning to look at the blonde.

“Shut up a minute and listen.” She said more quietly, now that the two weren’t yelling at each other.

They all strained their ears and listened, hearing the faint sound of the wolf’s howling.

“It’s stopped.” The Doctor said quietly, climbing on top of a chair by the barricade and pressing his ear against the door. He heard the wolf growl quietly, sniffing at the door before leaving. The Time Lord looked at them. “It’s gone.”

They heard the sound of the wolf padding around the outside of the room, echoing in the dead silence of the Library.

“Listen.” Seren said as she covered the blonde’s hand with her own as they followed the sound of the wolf as it walked around the room.

Rose reached out and grabbed Seren’s hand, squeezing it in absolute terror. The Queen was shaking violently while Captain Reynolds stood guard by her side, terror on his face as well though he refused to give in to it.

“Is this the only door?” The Doctor asked in a whisper.

“Yes.” Sir Robert replied in an equal whisper, nodding. There was a second-long pause before Sir Robert shouted, “No!” and rushed to another door.

The Doctor followed him and the two quickly barricaded the second door as well, hearing the wolf’s growling from the other side.

“Shh!” Seren silenced the two men and they all turned to look at her.

She strained her ears, trying to follow the sound of the wolf’s growling the same way she used to follow the sound of footsteps when playing blind man's bluff as a child. They all looked around uneasily, hearing the creaking of the doors and the sound of scratches on the wood that the wolf was making.

Suddenly the sounds stopped, the wolf’s footsteps and growls fading away.

“I don’t understand.” Rose said quietly, clinging to Seren’s hand. “What’s stopping it?”

Seren stared at the door, wondering the same thing as Sir Robert sighed in regret, collapsing on to a chair that was barricading the second door.

“Something inside this room.” The Doctor said ponderingly, looking around.

“But what? Why can’t it get in?” Seren asked, looking at him in confusion, the same being mirrored back when he turned to look at her. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you. But still, what is it about this room that is stopping the wolf from getting in?”

“I tell you what, though…” Rose said, letting go of Seren’s hand as the blonde’s terror slowly faded.

“What?” The Doctor and Seren asked, turning to look at her in confusion.

“Werewolf.” She said, a disbelieving expression on her face.

“I know!” The Doctor replied with excitement.

Seren rolled her eyes and face-palmed in exasperation as the two hugged each other. The Queen looked at the pair with wide-eyed astonishment, disbelief across her features as she saw the Time Lord hug his ‘wife’s’ god-sister with extreme familiarity. The Captain, who had seen the Queen’s expression with a similar one of his own, looked at Seren, wondering what the young woman thought of the display.

What he and the Queen saw, surprised them even further.

“Are you all right, Rose?” Seren asked in concern once the Doctor and the blonde separated.

She seemed entirely unconcerned by Rose still having her hands on the Time Lord’s upper arms, despite the man having let go of her waist and his arms hanging by his sides. Queen Victoria and Captain Reynolds didn’t realize that Seren hadn’t even noticed Rose’s action, too concerned by the blonde’s well-being.

“I’m okay, yeah.” Rose replied, looking at her and nodding.

Seren looked at her with a keen eye, seeing the truth in the blonde’s words – she was slightly shaken, but no more than usual when encountering the dangers of their lives.

“Okay.” Seren said, nodding in acceptance.

“I'm sorry, Ma'am.” Sir Robert said from behind them, drawing their attention to him. “It's all my fault. I should have sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong. I… thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?”

“Well, they were bald, athletic. Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy.” The Doctor commented, shrugging slightly.

Seren raised her eyebrow at the response and reached up, whacking him across the head. The Queen, who had turned to the Doctor with wide eyes at his comment, turned the disbelieving expression on Seren at her reaction to it.

“Ow!” He exclaimed, whipping around to look at her with a hand on his head where she had hit him. “What was that for?” Seren raised her eyebrow and looked at him coolly, her expression causing him to gulp slightly. “Never mind.” He said softly, recognizing that he was on thin ice with the woman.

“I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now.” Rose commented to the Queen.

Seren and the Queen whipped around to look at the blonde.

“Do you think this is funny, Rose?!” Seren asked her furiously before the Queen could open her mouth.

“No, Seren. I’m sorry.” She said meekly and looking at the floor, suitably chastised for her behaviour.

Seren sighed and walked over to her, stopping in front of the blonde and gently lifting the younger woman’s head up with both of her hands.

“Rose, listen to me.” Seren said softly, the Doctor stepping back slightly. He had long since learned that getting between the Tyler/ Jones would be detrimental to his health. “Running around with us, I know you find it amazing and wonderful. And it is, it truly is. Being able to explore and discover new things and then tell the stories when we go home. But, _Cariad_ , there is a time and a place for playfulness and fun. Right here, right now, it is not that time.” She looked up into the blonde’s hazel eyes. “Do you understand that?”

“Yes, Seren. I do.” Rose said softly. “I’m sorry.”

Seren smiled gently and kissed her cheek, the heels giving her enough height that she didn’t have to stand on her tip-toes to do so.

“What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please. What exactly is that creature?” The Queen asked desperately and fearfully, drawing the two women’s attention to her.

"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength ‘haemovariform’." The Doctor replied, scratching his head awkwardly.

"And why should we trust you, sir?” Captain Reynolds asked him. “You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?"

Despite the Captain’s gratefulness that Seren saved him from being devoured, his main priority was the Queen’s safety. At the moment, he didn’t trust anyone, not the three strangers and certainly not Sir Robert who had played a hand in the mess they were in, however reluctantly it may have been.

The Doctor looked at him for a moment, wondering what the Captain was talking about before realizing that he had speaking with his regular accent for quite a while instead of the Scottish brogue he had been using earlier in the evening.

“Oh right, sorry… that's-” The Doctor started, only to be cut off by the furious Queen.

“I'll not have it.” She snapped, the Time Lord immediately shutting his mouth and folding his hands behind his back.  “No, sir. Not you… not that thing… none of it. This is not my world.”

Following her adamant statement, the Queen turned to Captain Reynolds and began quietly talking to him quietly. The Doctor turned and began wandering around the room, trying to see if there was any reason why the wolf didn’t attack them while they were inside. Rose leaned against the wall while Seren sat on the floor, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing her ankles, the hem of her dress covering her heels. She was playing with the string of her bag, humming quietly to keep herself from losing her mind.

“Seren?” Rose said after a few seconds of listening to the older woman hum.

“Hmm?” Seren said, looking up at the blonde.

“Can you sing something, please?” Rose asked hesitantly. “Doesn’t matter what, just something.” Seren looked at her and Rose hurried on to explain, “It’s just, this is the first time you sang since Uncle Ifan and Aunt Glenda’s funeral where you and Siwan sang ‘Amazing Grace’. Please, can you sing like you used to?”

Seren smiled and opened her mouth, singing in a soft melodic tone that calmed all of them.

_“Tommy was a piper’s son,_

_He learned to play when he was young._

_The only tune that he could play,_

_Was ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’._

_Over the hills and a long way off,_

_The wind shall blow my topknot off._

_Now Tom with his pipe made such a noise,_

_But he pleased both the girls and boys._

_And they did dance when he did play,_

_‘Over the Hills and Far Away’._

_Over the hills and a long way off,_

_The wind shall blow my topknot off.”_

The Doctor turned and looked at Seren, a small smile on his face as he listened to her sing. Rhiannon had told him about how the twins used to love singing, Seren in particular, but hadn’t been able to bring themselves to following their parent’s funeral.

_“Now Tom did play with such a skill,_

_That those nearby could not stand still._

_And over highland they did dance,_

_Down through England, Spain and France._

_Over the hills and a long way off,_

_The wind shall blow my topknot off.”_

“Thank you.” Rose said with a grateful smile, once the song was done.

Seren smiled back, the room completely silent except for the sound of the Doctor wandering around.

“Lady McCrimmon?” Sir Robert called, the sudden noise in the near silence drawing everyone’s attention.

“Yes?” Seren asked, looking up at him.

“When you faced the wolf, you sang to it. What made you think of doing so? And how did you know it would work?” Sir Robert asked, confusion on his face as he voiced the questions that had been nagging at him since she had faced the wolf.

“I didn’t know it would work.” Seren replied honestly, turning to look at him and curling her legs to her side. “It just seemed afraid.” She said softly, shrugging delicately. “So I decided to see if singing would calm him down, the way it would for the children.”

“But what would it have to be afraid of?” Rose asked in confusion, moving to sit on the floor next to Seren.

“I don’t know.” Seren replied, catching the Doctor’s eye and fingering her perception filter ring meaningfully. He nodded slightly, understanding her meaning before returning to his exploration of the room. “It just seemed that way.”

“Hold on! You had no idea that singing would work?!” Rose exclaimed as she whipped around to stare at Seren, the older woman’s words registering in her mind.

“None whatsoever.” Seren replied, looking at the younger woman with wide innocent eyes.

“Mistletoe…” The Doctor breathed, drawing their attention before the blonde could become anymore furious. The Time Lord was looking at the door between the barricades, touching the woodwork.

“ _Cariad_?” Seren asked, standing up and moving over to him to look at what had caught his attention.

“Mistletoe.” The Time Lord repeated to her, pointing to the carving of mistletoe that he had been fingering. He turned around and looked at Sir Robert. “Sir Robert, did your father put that there?”

“I don't know. I suppose.” Sir Robert replied, shrugging unsurely.

“The other door, too.” The Doctor muttered, causing the noble to turn and look at the carving.

“But a carving wouldn’t be enough.” Seren said, shaking her head. “Otherwise it would be all over the Estate, not just in here.”

“I wonder…” The Doctor breathed, a pondering look on his face.

He climbed onto the chair and leaned up, licking the woodwork. Seren pulled a face at the action, though knowing that it was simply the use of his gustatory perception and that Time Lords had the ability identify various things through taste, like identifying the blood type that had been used by the Sycorax for their blood control matrix.

“Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe. It's been worked into the wood like a varnish.” The Doctor said, jumping off the chair and exuding excitement. “How clever was your dad? I love him!” He exclaimed to Sir Robert who, along with the Queen and Captain Reynolds were looking at the man like he had gone mad. “Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins.”

“And the wolf’s allergic to it?” Rose asked.

“It thinks it is.” Seren said, realization dawning on her beautiful face.

“Exactly!” The Doctor exclaimed, giving Seren a wide grin. “The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf…”

“So, maybe they trained it to react against certain things.” Seren finished.

“Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon.” Sir Robert said helplessly.

“Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?” The Doctor sneered at him.

“ _Cariad_ , you’re being rude again.” Seren told the Doctor.

“Good.” He replied, glancing at her before looking back at Sir Robert with a sneer. “I meant that one.”

“Sir Robert, we have weapons.” Seren said, turning to the noble before the Doctor could be ruder to the man. Sir Robert, the Captain and the Queen looked at her confusion. She gestured to the shelves around her. “Books!”

“Best weapons in the world.” The Doctor said, taking his glasses out and putting them on. “This room's the greatest arsenal we could have.” He grabbed a few books and threw them to Seren, who caught them in both hands. “Arm yourself.”

Seren gave the books in her hand to Rose while the Doctor grabbed several more, tossing them to her.

“What are we looking for?” Rose asked as Seren handed a pile to Sir Robert and another to Captain Reynolds, the room erupting into a mad rush to try and find something they could use.

“Look up biology, zoology.” Seren said, standing at the table and frantically flipping through a book. “There might be something on wolves in here.”

“Hold on, what about this?” The Doctor said, standing on a ladder and holding a book. “A book on mistletoe.”

“A book on magic.” Rose commented as the Doctor handed her the book.

“… some sort of explosive...” Captain Reynolds said, flipping through his book.

“Hmm, that’s the sort of thing.” The Doctor said thoughtfully, looking at another book.

“What about wolfsbane?” Seren asked.

“Ooh.” The Doctor muttered, jumping off the ladder. He moved to the table and put the book down, the rest crowding around to look. “Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth.”

“A spaceship?” Rose asked, looking at the picture.

“Shooting star.” Sir Robert corrected. He looked at the book and began to read, “ _‘In the year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.’_ That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the monastery.”

“But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?” Rose asked in confusion.

“Maybe just a single cell survived.” Seren suggested thoughtfully. “And it adapted slowly down the generations, surviving through the humans, host after host after host.” She looked at the Doctor and Sir Robert. “Remember the story? ‘Once in a generation a boy will vanish from his homestead.’”

“But why does it want the throne?” Captain Reynolds asked.

“That's what it wants, it said so.” Rose said, frowning as she tried to remember what the wolf had said. “'The - The Empire of the Wolf'.”

“Imagine it.” The Doctor said forebodingly. “The Victorian Age accelerated - starships and missiles fuelled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake.”

“Sir Robert! Captain Reynolds!” Queen Victoria called, standing from the chaise she had been sitting on and watching them from. The two men went to her as she said, “If I’m to die here…”

“Don’t say that, Your Majesty.” Sir Robert said pleadingly.

“I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me.” The Queen said, her voice shaking slightly but the determination clear. “But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself.”

She opened her purse and began rummaging through it.

“Hardly the time to worry about your valuables.” The Doctor pointed out.

Seren shook her head and smacked his shoulder. He gave her a mock-hurt look, holding his shoulder.

“You’re being rude.” Seren replied in a whisper, looking at him.

He pouted at her as the Queen looked at the man resignedly.

“Thank you for your opinion.” She said. “But there is nothing more valuable than this.”

She pulled out a finest white 105.6 carat diamond.

“The Koh-I-Noor.” Seren breathed, looking at the beautiful gem with amazement.

“The greatest diamond in the world.” The Doctor breathed.

The trio shuffled forward, their gazes locked on the diamond.

“Given to me as the spoils of war.” The Queen added. “Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die.”

“Well, that's true of anything if you wait long enough.” The Doctor commented and gestured to the diamond. “Can I?”

He held his hand out and Queen Victoria handed the diamond to him, watching him closely as he examined the massive gem.

“That is so beautiful.” Seren breathed, looking at the diamond as the Time Lord examined it.

“Yes, it is.” He agreed, nodding.

“How much is that worth?” Rose asked.

“They say, the wages of the entire planet, for a whole week.” The Doctor replied.

“Good thing Aunt Jackie isn’t here.” Seren said with a snort. “She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for this.”

“And she’s win.” The Doctor muttered.

“Tell me about it.” Rose muttered with a laugh.

“Where is the wolf?” Captain Reynolds asked, looking around the room. “I don't trust this silence.”

He and Sir Robert began wandering the room, straining their ears to listen for any sign of the wolf.

“Why are you travelling with it, Your Majesty?” Seren asked curiously.

“My annual pilgrimage.” The Queen replied. “I'm taking it to Helier and Carew, the Royal Jewellers, at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting.”

“Oh, but it’s perfect.” Rose breathed, fingering the stone.

“My late husband never thought so.” Queen Victoria said, her voice tinged with sorrow as she thought of her beloved husband.

“Now, there's a fact.” The Doctor said, removing his glasses and looking at the two women beside him. “Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be 40% bigger than this.” He held up the stone slightly in emphasis. “But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting.”

“He always said ‘the shine was not quite right’.” The Queen informed them, gazing at the diamond with a fond expression. “But he died with it still unfinished.”

“Unfinished…” The Doctor repeated softly, his mind whirring as pieces began falling into place. “Oh, yes!” He tossed the diamond back to the Queen, who caught with a look of indignant surprise on her face. “There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research… and your husband, Ma'am, he came here, and he sought the perfect diamond.” He began pacing the room, running his hands through his hair frantically as he spoke. “Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected. Oh, my head! My head!” He looked at the Queen, his hair sticking up in every direction. “What if… this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?”

For a moment, Queen Victoria, Captain Reynolds, Sir Robert and Rose looked at him in bewilderment, Seren being the only one that was able to actually follow along with what the Time Lord said.

“Obviously.” The Queen replied after a moment, focusing on the question rather than the rant that came before it.

“At least, that's what the wolf intended.” The Doctor said.

“But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?” Seren asked, her eyes wide as she realized where the Doctor was going.

The rest on the other hand, gave the pair confused looks.

“Explain yourselves, Doctor, Lady McCrimmon.” The Queen ordered, the rest nodding in agreement with the order.

“What if Sir Robert’s father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories?” Seren asked, speaking rapidly. “What if they dared to imagine all this was true?”

“And they planned against it,” The Doctor continued. “Laying the real trap, not for you, but for the wolf.”

A fine sprinkling of plaster dust fell from the ceiling and they all looked up to the skylight. The wolf was walking on the glass dome above the library, looking down at them and growling.

“That wolf there.” Seren breathed, pointing to the wolf.

As they watched in frozen silence, the glass dome began to crack.

“Out! Out! Out!” The Doctor yelled.

The order broke everyone from their daze and they followed, the Doctor, Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds quickly removing the barricade. The wolf broke through the skylight and into the room just as they cleared the door.

“Your Majesty!” Sir Robert called, herding the Queen out of the library, the rest following out into the corridor.

The wolf roared, and the Doctor closed the doors behind them, temporarily sealing the wolf inside.

“Gotta get to the Observatory!” He yelled, running down the corridor and joining the rest of the group.

He grabbed Seren’s hand as they ran, hearing the wolf break through the mistletoe doors and chase after them. They turned another corridor, Rose bringing up the rear as the wolf caught up to them.

Hearing the growling behind her, Rose turned and screamed, the sound halting the rest of them.

“Rose!” Seren yelled as a woman appeared out of nowhere and threw the contents of the pan she was holding onto the wolf.

The wolf roared as steam billowed from the points of contact, turning and retreating down the corridor.

“Good shot!” The Doctor complimented as Seren pulled Rose into a tight hug.

“Are you okay?” She asked the blonde frantically, pulling away.

“Yeah. I’m okay.” Rose replied, panting slightly.

“It was mistletoe.” Flora explained as the Doctor and Captain Reynolds ran down the corridor to make sure the wolf was gone.

“Isobel!” Sir Robert said with relief. The husband and wife kissed deeply before pulling apart. “Now, get back downstairs.”

“Keep yourself safe.” Isobel pleaded.

“My love.” Sir Robert said, nodding. He kissed her again, this time more briefly. “Now go.”

Isobel nodded and began walking away.

“Girls, come with me.” Isobel called, the maids hurrying to follow her. “Down the back stairs, back to the kitchens. Quickly!”

Seren watched them for a moment before making a snap decision.

“Lady Isobel!” Seren called to the retreating woman, causing her to stop and turn. Seren walked up to her, pulling Rose as well as the Doctor turned and watched with a confused frown, wondering what Seren was doing. “Please take Rose with you.”

“Seren, no!” Rose exclaimed in denial as Isobel nodded in agreement. “I’m not leaving you!”

“Please, Rose.” Seren said softly, looking up into the blonde’s hazel eyes. “I promised that I would keep you keep you safe.”

Rose looked at her for a moment, seeing the determination and the fear warring in the amethyst – gold orbs. Finally, she nodded in reluctant agreement and let herself be led away by Lady Isobel.

Seren stepped back, her and Sir Robert watching until the two women were out of sight.

“Come on!” The Doctor said, running between Sir Robert and Seren, taking the Welshwoman’s hand as he passed and pulling her along.

“The Observatory’s this way.” Sir Robert said, pointing down the right-hand corridor.

They ran down the maze of corridors, Seren and the Doctor hand-in-hand as they led the group, coming to the central staircase.

“Oh, _Duw_. This dress is driving me insane.” Seren growled, holding her skirt up with one hand as she ran up the central staircase with her other hand holding the Doctor’s larger one.

“You look gorgeous.” The Doctor said, grinning down at her without breaking his stride.

“That’s all well and good, until this corset causes me to pass out!” Seren exclaimed.

“Now why would that happen?” The Doctor asked, honestly confused.

“Running and boned corsets do not make a good mix.” Seren said, rolling her eyes at him as they reached the top of the stairs and down the corridor to the Observatory.

“Good point.” The Doctor muttered.

They looked behind them when they heard the wolf roar in fury.

“Sounds like the wolf’s recovered.” Seren commented.

“Look, no mistletoe in these doors.” The Doctor said, looking at the Observatory doors as he opened them. “’Cos your father wanted the wolf to get inside. I just need time!” He exclaimed, standing by the doors as the rest of them entered. “Is there any way of barricading this?”

“Do your work, and I’ll defend it.” Sir Robert said in determination, stopping in the doorway.

Seren spun around to face him, instinctively knowing that the man wouldn’t survive.

“Absolutely not!” The tiny Welshwoman exclaimed, walking up to the man in the doorway and looking up at him with fierce eyes. “You promised your wife you would return to her. And that is exactly what you’re going to do.”

“Then who will defend it?” Sir Robert asked.

“I will.” She said fiercely.

Everyone turned to look at the stunning Welshwoman, her ferocity not hampered by her elegant attire – if anything it only seemed to enhance the aura.

“Seren Rhosyn, no. Please don’t do this.” The Doctor said softly, pleadingly.

He looked down at her, his fear of losing her clear in his eyes. She walked up to him and reached up, cupping his cheek with her hand.

“I have a better chance of surviving then Sir Robert or Captain Reynolds. Far too many people have died already.” She said softly, looking up at him. “The wolf seemed frightened of me, I can use that to my advantage. And besides, if nothing else, I can sing to it.”

“I can’t lose you.” He said softly, a tear running down his cheek.

She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips, a slight touch of their lips, before pulling back and wiping away the few tears that ran down his cheek.

“We promised forever.” She told him quietly and stepped back from him. “Trust me.”

She kissed him once more, another slight touch of their lips, and pushed him back against towards the room.

“Come back to me.” He said softly, looking at her with an emotion she couldn’t name.

“Forever.” She replied, the same emotion reflected back at him in her large doe eyes.

He closed the doors, his eyes never leaving her until they were shut, the sounds of the wolf getting closer haunting him in a way that hadn’t until that moment. He rested his forehead against the closed doors for a moment and prayed that he would see his beloved Seren again.

He took a breath and turned to the room’s occupants, wiping away the few tears that ran down his cheek.

“Your Majesty, the diamond.” He said, walking up to the Queen and holding his hand out.

“For what purpose?” She asked suspiciously, her grip tightening on her purse.

“The purpose it was designed for.” The Doctor replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside, Seren withdrew one Bo-Staff from her bag and the other from her garter. She slid them both open, hearing the wolf draw nearer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Queen nodded and handed the diamond to the Time Lord.

“Sir Robert, Captain Reynolds!” He called over his shoulder, running to the control wheel and beginning to roll it towards him. The two men ran to him, stopping by the wheel. “Sir Robert, opposite me and lift it. Captain, between us and push it along. Come on.”

The two men nodded and moved into position. The three of them struggled to turn the wheel, the strain clear on their faces. Slowly but surely, the cogs began to shift, and the telescope began to rise.

“Is this the right time for stargazing?” Sir Robert asked, panting from exertion.

“Yes, it is…” The Doctor replied in a strained voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wolf finally found Seren and bounded up to her. Like the last time, it stopped about a foot away, stunned and frozen in fear by the burning light behind her eyes.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Seren said to the wolf. “But I won’t hesitate to do so if it means protecting the ones I love.”

The wolf, despite being frozen by fear, let out a bark that almost sounded like amusement.

“You know I am not like the others.” Seren said. “I am a Chosen One of the Mara. I am Bad Wolf.”

The wolf stepped backward slightly, the amusement vanishing instantly and once more replaced by fear, at the woman’s declaration of who she was.

Somewhere, deep inside the wolf, past the basic and conditioned instincts, it recognized the meaning of the Chosen Ones, it recognized the being that ended the Last Great Time War.

Seren stepped forward, her hand outstretched towards the wolf.

“You don’t need to be afraid anymore.” She said softly.

At the fear that still permeated from the wolf, she decided to do what she had done the last time, praying that it would work again. She opened her mouth and began to sing, the sweet and soft melody ringing through the Estate.

_“Hush now, don’t be scared._

_Through this tide of darkness,_

_Shadows will march,_

_Thunders will roar,_

_But peace will soon be found.”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the kitchens, Lady Isobel, Rose and the maids were huddled in a corner, trying to make themselves as small as possible. Hearing the faint sounds of a song, Rose raised her head and looked up at the ceiling.

“Please be safe.” She pleaded, a few tears of fear running down her cheeks.

Lady Isobel tightened her hold on the strangely clad blonde, trying to reassure the child as much as she could. The song, faint though it was, filled her with hope that they just might survive the terrible ordeal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the Observatory, the three men and Queen Victoria heard the song more clearly.

The Doctor glanced at the door, silently praying that Seren would survive. He couldn’t lose her, not when he finally found her again. His Soul Bonded, the one person in all Creation that was his perfect match. The one whom he lost to the War only to find again, on Earth as a Chosen One.

The song gave the three of them renewed strength as they struggled to turn the wheel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_“Through our land,_

_This sacred land,_

_Nightmares spread confusion._

_But stand your ground,_

_Until you’ve found_

_The strength to light your way.”_

Seren sang the final note and looked at the wolf before glancing at the Observatory door, praying that the Doctor was almost done with his plan.

Unfortunately, the wolf wasn’t held in a daze for as long as the previous time, regaining its’ bearings the second after Seren sang the last note. Her momentary distraction as she glanced at the door cost her dearly, being unprepared for the wolf’s fury when she looked back at it.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the wolf, the creature no longer stunned by the light burning behind her own amethyst – gold orbs. The wolf raised a paw and swung at her, the move too quick for her to dodge.

She screamed as the wolf struck her in the shoulder, losing her grip on her Bo-Staffs as she was thrown into the wall. She hit the wall with a thud, biting back another scream as she felt her shoulder dislocate and the blood drip down the side of her head from where it impacted the stone. She looked up at the wolf through blurry eyes, her vision hazy from the blow to her head.

“I’m sorry, my Mad Man.” She breathed as her eyes fluttered close and blackness overtook her sense.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Doctor froze and whipped his head around to look at the door when he heard the scream. He stared with wide eyes, praying, pleading that she was still alive.

“Doctor!” Captain Reynolds shouted as the wolf began battering on the door.

The Doctor looked back at him, finally registering the battering against the door. He returned to turning the wheel, the movement becoming slightly easier as the gears turned, and the telescope continued to rise.

Queen Victoria turned and faced the door, pulling out her cross necklace and holding it up, silently praying as the wolf banged on the door.

“Did you not say this did not work?” Sir Robert asked, yelling to be heard over the battering at the door and his own heart beating rapidly.

“It doesn’t work as a telescope because that’s not what it is!” He yelled back, looking up at the telescope. “It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up.”

“But how?” Captain Reynolds asked.

The Doctor looked up at the Light Chamber as it slowly moved into position.

“Moonlight!” Sir Robert exclaimed, seeing where they were trying to aim the Light Chamber.

“But the wolf needs moonlight. It's made by moonlight.” Captain Reynolds said in confusion, grunting with the strain of turning the wheel.

“You're 70% water but you can still drown.” The Doctor pointed out. “Come on!” The Light Chamber slowly became aligned with the moon. “Come on!”

It fully aligned with the moon, the white ethereal light shining down through the Light Chamber and bouncing off each of the prisms, getting brighter with each one it passed. The wolf broke through the door just as the light shone through the bottom, far too short of the wolf.

The Queen gasped in fright and stumbled backwards, the wolf advancing on her and ignoring the rest of them. The Doctor dove across the floor and slid the Koh-I-Noor across the floor and into the beam of light. A radiant, prismatic beam of light refracted upwards and caught the wolf. The wolf roared as it was lifted into the air, slowly regaining human form. The Doctor stood up and they watched as the man hung in mid-air, as if crucified by something the others couldn’t see.

“Make it brighter.” The man said softly, in a Scottish accent. “Let me go.”

The Doctor slowly walked back to the Light Chamber and flicked a switch, making the beam brighter, as requested. The man regained the wolf form and gave a final long howl before vanishing completely.

Once the wolf vanished, the light beam disappeared as well, everyone giving a collective sigh of relief. The Queen looked at her wrist, staring intently at it, noticed by Captain Reynolds.

“Your Majesty?” Captain Reynolds asked in concern. “Did it bite you?”

“No, it's… it's a cut, that's all.” The Queen replied.

The Doctor walked towards her slowly, the Koh-I-Noor diamond in his hand.

“If that thing bit you…” The Doctor started slowly, trailing off.

“It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart. It's nothing.” She replied unconcernedly.

“Let me see.” The Doctor said, reaching out to her.

“It is nothing.” She repeated firmly, pulling her hand away sharply and stepping back.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, not believing her. He turned and ran out of the Observatory, Sir Robert behind him, a far more pressing matter taking hold of the Time Lord’s thoughts.

“Seren!” He yelled, looking up and down the corridor. “Seren!”

His eyes widened when he caught sight of a purple and gold heap on the ground at one end of the corridor. He ran towards her, his hearts thudding painfully in his chest as he took sight of the pool of blood around her head and the angle her arm was at. A few tendrils of her bun came loose, hanging down in loose curls.

“Seren!” He cried, sliding to his knees beside her and gently gathering her in his arms. Sir Reynolds knelt across from him, holding out a handkerchief that the Doctor took and used to try and stop the bleeding. “Please wake up. Come on, wake up.”

Once the bleeding stemmed, Sir Robert took the handkerchief and tied it around the woman’s head, tying the makeshift bandage into a headband of sorts with the knot being tied beneath her bun.  Tears streamed down the Doctor's face, unchecked and without pause as he pleaded for her to wake up. The Queen and Captain Reynolds stood a few feet away, the three humans watching the Time Lord as he begged Seren to wake up, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Come on, Seren. You promised forever, remember? You can’t leave me, please. Open your eyes.”

“Mmm.” Seren groaned as her eyes fluttered slightly, slowly regaining consciousness.

“… ease, open your eyes.”

“’m awake.” She groaned, opening her eyes slowly. “Stop talking. You’re making my head hurt.”

“You’re okay.” He breathed, a tearful smile crossing his face.

“Yeah.” She replied softly, reaching up with her good arm and wiping away his tears. “It’ll take more than a head wound to kill me.” She looked around, noticing that the Queen, Captain Reynolds and Sir Robert were nearby. “The wolf?”

“Gone.” The Doctor replied. Seren nodded sadly, looking at the ground. “Hey,” He gently turned her face towards him, “I know you wanted to try and save him. But in the end, he asked to be let go.”

“I understand.” Seren said softly, looking up at him as he got to his feet and helped her up as well.

And she did, she honestly understood – where the wolf was coming from when asking to be let go and where the Doctor was coming from when he let the wolf go.

She hissed in pain when she tried moving her left arm.

“You’ve dislocated it.” The Doctor said softly. “I need to reset it.” Seren grimaced as he gently probed the shoulder joint. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” She replied, nodding.

The other three watched, wondering what the Doctor was doing.

“You ready to go home?” He asked, glancing at her.

“Yeah, definitely.” She replied with a sigh. “Get Rose, go home and hold the kids. Then never let them go.”

“Sounds like a plan.” The Doctor replied. “Okay, on 5.” Seren nodded and took a breath. “1… 2… 5.”

The Doctor snapped the dislocated joint back into place.

Seren screamed, loudly. The sudden noise caused the Queen, Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds to jump, watching open mouthed as the feisty Welshwoman wacked the Doctor in the side with her drawstring bag.

“That hurt!” She shouted, glaring at him as he knelt down and tore a strip of fabric from one of the underlayers of her dress. “What happened to 3 and 4?”

“They decided to take a vacation.” He replied with a grin, standing up and using the strip of fabric to create a sling for her arm.

Seren growled at him for a moment, mostly on principle since she knew it would have hurt much more if he had counted each number.

“Rose?” She asked, remembering her god-sister whom she had sent with Lady Isobel and the maids.

“She’s okay.” The Doctor said softly, wrapping his arm around her as he slowly guided her down the corridor.

The small group made their way to the kitchens as quickly as they could, Sir Robert and Seren eager to see Lady Isobel and Rose safe and sound with their own eyes. Unfortunately, as quickly as possible wasn’t very quick at all since Seren also had a mild concussion to go with her head wound, making moving quickly a dream.

“Okay, this is taking too long!” Seren exclaimed, her anxiousness increasing when they only got to the first landing after ten minutes of walking.

“I have an idea.” The Doctor said.

“Wha-” Seren started, only to cut herself off with a small scream when her world shifted, and she was suddenly looking at the ceiling.

The Doctor had picked her up and was carrying her in his arms, bridal-style. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck as they resumed walking, the Time Lord taking the lead.

Queen Victoria, despite her growing reservations about the pair, couldn’t help but give a small smile and remember her years with her own husband. Sir Robert as well, had a small smile on his face as he looked at the Doctor’s back, the Time Lord having eyes only for the path ahead and the beautiful woman in his arms. Captain Reynolds watched the pair, particularly Seren, knowing that regardless of what would happen in the time that followed, he would be eternally grateful to the young Lady that saved his life.

The group entered the kitchen and time-travelling pair were promptly accosted by a frantic Rose, Lady Isobel half a step behind her and heading going straight to Sir Robert, though slightly more sedately.

“Seren, you’re alive. Thank God you’re alive.” Rose breathed, pulling the pair into a hug as Seren bit back a pained moan – having had to pull the Doctor in as well since he had been holding Seren in his arms. She pulled back slightly, not letting go of the pair as she continued rambling, “I heard you sing, then I heard you scream and then nothing. I thought you died and I was so scared. Thank God you’re alright.”

Rose hugged them again, the Doctor sinking to the ground under the combined weight of the two women. Rose sank down as well, not losing her tight grip around their necks, Seren being completely smothered by the two.

 “G-guys… c-can’t breathe.” Seren choked out. “Need air…”

The three were unaware they were being watched by the maids, Queen Victoria, Captain Reynolds, Lady Isobel and Sir Robert. They each had amused smiles on their faces, the maids holding back their giggles with their hands.

“Sorry.” Rose said sheepishly, pulling back and letting go of the pair. “I was so worried.”

“Indeed, she was, Lady McCrimmon.” Lady Isobel said from under her husband’s arm, looking at them with a fond smile.

Seren looked up at her, using the Doctor’s shoulder as leverage to rise to her feet. The Doctor stood up as well as Seren walked forward a few steps.

“Thank you for looking after her, Lady Isobel.” Seren said, looking up at the beautiful woman with slightly unfocused large gold-rimmed amethyst doe eyes.

“And thank you for saving my husband, Lady McCrimmon.” Lady Isobel said in response, her hand tightly gripping her husband’s.

Seren smiled for a moment before it faded, her vision going hazy as she swayed.

“Ooh.” She moaned, her hand to her head. She blinked as she looked at Lady Isobel, “Why are there two of you…?”

“Seren!” The Doctor and Rose cried in unison as she collapsed, the Doctor catching her just before she hit the ground.

“What happened? Is she all right?” Flora asked, the entire group crowding around the unconscious woman and the Doctor.

“Doctor, why’d she faint?” Rose asked frantically, kneeling next to the man as he checked Seren’s vitals.

“She’s all right.” The Doctor said after a few moments. “It’s a delayed reaction to her exhaustion combined with her concussion and headwound. She should come around shortly. In a few hours at the most.”

The Doctor’s response to the questions sent a wave of relief over those present, especially Rose as she sat on the ground next to him. While most weren’t sure what to make of the strange trio – the couple and the naked child – none of them wanted the young Lady to die after having survived such an ordeal.

“Take her to your rooms, Doctor.” Lady Isobel suggested. “It would be unwise for her to stay here while recovering, and she may rest more comfortably in a bed.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor said, nodding gratefully as he stood up and gathered the unconscious woman in his arms, mindful of the sling holding her shoulder in place.

“Thank you.” Rose said to her as well, standing up and moving to follow the Time Lord. She turned to him, saying, “If you think I’m letting her out of my sight, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He muttered, rolling his eyes as he walked out of the kitchen, Rose behind him.

He led the way to his and Seren’s room, Rose opening the door to let them in. He gently laid the woman he loved on the bed and sat next to her, holding her uninjured hand. Rose sat on Seren’s other side, gently removing all the bobby pins holding the intricate bun in place before putting them on the night stand. She ran her hands through the older woman’s recently turned raven-blue locks, relishing the luscious feel to the soft curls.

Slowly, the Doctor and Rose fell asleep as well, the Doctor stretching out beside Seren while Rose curled by the woman’s leg, her head resting on a pillow against Seren’s leg.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dawn broke over the Scottish Highlands, the sun filtering in through the curtains of Seren and the Doctor’s shared room at the Torchwood Estate. Seren winced and moaned as she felt the rays against her face, teasingly urging her to greet the new day.

She tried to raise her hand only to find that her left was in a sling on her chest and moving it sent pain shooting up her shoulder, while the other was held in tight grip by the man sleeping next to her. She also noticed the weight on her leg and looking down she saw Rose fast asleep as well.

“What in the world did I miss?” Seren asked herself, not remembering much after nearly being smothered by Rose and the Doctor.

The Doctor groaned as he woke up, becoming instantly alert the moment he saw Seren awake.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, checking her pulse, other vitals and looking into her eyes to check for the concussion.

“Better. A little unfocused, but better.” She replied softly, not wanting to wake Rose up. “What’d I miss?”

“What do you remember?”

“The last thing I remember was nearly being smothered.” Seren replied bluntly, removing the handkerchief that was wrapped around her head.

“You thanked Lady Isobel for looking after me, she thanked you for saving her husband, you asked why there were two of her and then you passed out.” Rose replied, sitting up and stretching. “You had everyone incredibly worried.”

She had woken up as the Doctor was checking Seren’s vitals.

“Sorry.” Seren said softly. “You okay, though?”

“Yeah, just eager to get out of the Victorian Era.” Rose replied. “There is only so many times I can take being called ‘naked’.”

She grinned sardonically at them, sending the pair into peals of laughter. She soon joined in, seeing the amusement in her words. Slowly, they stopped laughing and the three got out of bed, taking turns to use the wash basin to clean their hands and faces. Rose brushed Seren’s hair, letting the thick strands fall loosely around her shoulders down to her thighs - her hair having lengthened during the change following the death of the Sycorax.

Just as they were about to leave the room, there was a knock on the door.

“Doctor? Lady McCrimmon? Rose?” Flora’s voice called through the wood.

The Doctor opened the door just as Flora was about to knock again.

“You are being summoned to the Drawing Room.” She said, looking slightly startled at the wide grin on the Doctor’s face.

She looked passed him and saw Seren behind him with Rose, looking as though they had been about to leave the room. Rose had a bright smile on her face matching the Doctor’s while Seren had a smaller one on her face.

“Thank you Flora.” Seren said, stepping towards her. “We were just about to leave the room.” She turned to her companions, “Shall we?”

“We shall.” The Doctor said with a grin, offering her his arm.

She took it with a smile and they walked out of the room, Rose and Flora in front of them, the maid leading the way.

“How are you feeling, My Lady?” Flora asked as they walked down the corridor.

“Much better, thank you.” Seren replied with a smile. “A little unfocused, but that is to be expected with such an injury. I’ll be fine in a few days.”

Flora nodded and the remainder of the walk to the Drawing Room was silent, Rose and the Doctor just relishing the fact that Seren was still alive.

Entering the room, they found the entire household was present, as well as the remainder of the Royal Guard. Flora went to join a group of maids at one side while Sir Robert and Lady Isobel were standing on one side of the Queen, who was armed with a sword, and Captain Reynolds on the other.

“Come forward.” Queen Victoria called to Seren, Rose and the Doctor. The looked at each other and stepped forward, the Doctor still arm in arm with Seren. “Kneel.” The Doctor helped Seren kneel before kneeling himself, Rose on his other side. “By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Doctor of TARDIS.” She tapped the Doctor on each shoulder with the sword before turning to Rose. “By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Rose of the Powell Estate.” She tapped Rose on each shoulder before turning to Seren. “For your bravery and sacrifice, by the power vested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Baronetess Seren Rhosyn of TARDIS.” She tapped a shocked Seren on each shoulder before lowering the sword. “You may stand.”

The three of them rose to their feet, the Doctor helping a wide-eyed Seren, her arm still in a sling.

“Many thanks, Ma’am.” The Doctor said, a smile on his face and one arm around Seren’s waist as he supported her.

“Thanks!” Rose said, grinning. “They're never going to believe this back home.”

“Being Baronetess, does this make me the boss?” Seren asked the Doctor, looking up at him with a teasing smirk.

“You’ve always been the boss.” He said quietly, looking down at her.

Seren, who had already turned her attention to a grinning Rose, didn’t hear the comment, though Lady Isobel had. The Scottish Lady gave a small smile, seeing the tender way the man looked at Seren.

“Well Doctor? Is Seren the boss?” Rose asked, turning to the Time Lord between the two god-sisters.

“We’ll talk about it later.” He said with a grin, realizing that the women hadn’t heard what he had said. The two made slight faces at the reply as the Doctor turned to Queen Victoria, who was watching them. “Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving no message from the great beyond. I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, from beyond the grave.”

“Indeed.” The Queen replied gently, her expression becoming stern. “Then you may think on this also; that I am not amused.”

“Yes!” Rose cheered with a laugh as the Doctor and Seren groaned.

“Not remotely amused.” The Queen said. The stern tone wiping the grin off Rose’s face. “And henceforth I banish you.”

“I'm sorry?” The Doctor asked, taken aback.

“I have rewarded you, Sir Doctor, and now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are,” The Queen said. She stepped towards the three of them, speaking quietly though her words were heard through the silent Room. “The three of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars and magic and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death, and I will not allow it. You will leave these shores. And you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you may survive this terrible life.” She stepped away from them, her anger pouring off her in waves. “Now leave my world, and never return.”

They stared at the Queen as she gave her decree - the Doctor and Rose in complete shock while Seren with a kind of resignation. The Welshwoman almost expected something of the sort to occur, after all, it is never easy to accept that the world you know is much bigger than you realized, especially for those who were raised with strict values.

The three of them turned and walked out of the house, pausing to grab Seren’s cloak and drawstring bag and the Doctor’s coat. They hitched a lift with a farmer, sitting on the back of his cart, the Doctor between Seren and Rose.

“You know, I’m not surprised that she did what she did.” Seren said softly as they travelled the bumpy terrain.

They were talking about the events of the previous night, as well as the shock at being rewarded then promptly banished.

The Doctor and Rose looked at her incredulously.

“It’s never easy to accept that there is so much more than what you believed.” Seren started, speaking softly so as not to arouse Dougal’s suspicion. “After everything that happened last night, I almost expected her to do something similar. Think about it, they were all raised with extremely strict values, anything out of their idea of ordinary is labelled as dark and evil… So, what happened last night really shook them.” She sighed and looked out over the Highlands from beneath her hood. “Last night showed her that her kingdom had enemies beyond imagination. So, it wouldn’t surprise me if she did something to make sure that her borders are defended from all sides.”

“Guess we’ll just have to be careful.” Rose said quietly. She turned to the Doctor, asking, “You said that you think she might have gotten bitten? Are you sure?”

“Whoa!” Dougal called, stopping the cart before the Doctor could reply.

The three hopped off the cart and waved to the farmer.

“Cheers, Dougal!” The Doctor called in a Scottish accent.

Dougal waved at them and prompted his horse to move on once more.

“No, but the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood.” The Doctor said as they walked towards the TARDIS, his arm around Seren’s waist. “It's historical record. She was haemophiliac. They used to call it the Royal Disease! But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it, her dad didn't have it. It came from nowhere.”

“What, and you’re saying that’s a wolf bite?” Rose asked disbelievingly, walking on the Doctor’s other side.

“Or maybe haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism.” Seren suggested.

“For werewolf?” Rose asked in quiet surprise.

“Could be.” The Doctor replied with a grin, shrugging slightly.

“Queen Victoria's a werewolf?” Rose asked.

“Could be! And her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip.” The Doctor said, him and Seren snorting at the thought.

“So, the Royal Family are werewolves?” Rose asked disbelievingly.

“Maybe not yet.” Seren said. “I mean, a single cell could take 100 years to mature. The one we encountered took 300 years to mature.”

“Yeah, so if it takes 100 years, it might be ready by, ooh… early 21st century.” The Doctor suggested, running a few quick calculations.

“Nah, that's just ridiculous!” Rose exclaimed with a laugh. “Mind you, Princess Anne…” She trailed off, muttering.

“I’ll say no more.” The Doctor said with a grin, squeezing a laughing Seren closer to him.

“And if you think about it… they're very private.” Rose said with a laugh. “They plan everything in advance. They could schedule themselves around the Moon!” The Doctor took out the key opened the TARDIS doors, the three of them giggling. “We'd never know. And… they like hunting!” They entered as Rose continued, “They love blood sports. Oh my God! They're werewolves!”

Seren sat on the jump seat as the Doctor set the controls for Earth, 2007, the three still laughing. As the TARDIS dematerialized, Rose and the Doctor howled before collapsing into a fit of giggles. Seren laughed at the two as they hurtled through the Vortex, towards home.

** Links: **

_*Seren dress (amethyst purple with gold embroidery) –<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/558939003727072531/>_

_*Seren jewellery (amethyst purple beads) –<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/118993615133078194/>_

_*Seren shoes (amethyst purple) –<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/226728162468731821/>_

_*Seren hair –<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479264952/>_

_*Seren purse (amethyst purple with gold beadwork) -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/307722587022102241/>_

_*Seren cloak (amethyst purple) -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/356488126729333123/>_


	4. School Reunion

** School Reunion **

Seren was sitting on the loveseat in the living room of the Tyler/ Jones dual flat, talking with Siwan. They had returned to Earth a few hours earlier following a trip to 1879 Scotland where they had encountered a werewolf, were rewarded by Queen Victoria and then promptly banished.

“So how did your thesis defence presentation go?” Seren asked Siwan, taking a sip from her mug of tea. “Or did it not happen yet?”

She was dressed in a white spaghetti strapped tank top and a floor-length navy blue and white chevron maxi skirt*, with her hair open. Her left arm was in a proper sling, courtesy of the TARDIS, and she was barefoot.

“It happened,” Siwan replied with a grin. “And it went great.”

She was wearing a cream sleeveless floral printed blouse and ¾ denim capris*. Like Seren, her hair was open, and she was barefoot.

 “I’m so proud of you!” Seren squealed happily.

She pulled Siwan into a hug, both mindful of Seren’s arm.

“Congratulations Siwan.” The Doctor said with a grin, sitting on the floor Adam. “So when is your graduation?”

He had been fiddling with the TV remote while Adam was completing his backlog of paperwork, which was mostly reading the reports through and signing at the bottom since Siwan had already filled them out.

“Not for a few weeks,” Siwan replied, looking at the Time Lord. “The ceremony is in March. The University has to complete the paperwork for my advanced graduation before I can submit my actual application to graduate.”

“That’s what I don’t get,” Rose said, curled on the single and listening to the conversation. “Why would you need to apply to graduate?”

“It’s just a way for the school and the students to make sure that they’re on track to graduate,” Siwan replied, taking a sip of her coffee. “The last thing anyone wants is for a student to be at the ceremony, only to find out that they haven’t met the requirements to actually graduate.”

“That’d be embarrassing,” Adam muttered.

“Exactly,” Siwan said.

“Hey, you guys,” Mickey said, coming into the flat with his laptop bag slung over his shoulder.

“Mickey!” Seren exclaimed happily, her face lighting up with a smile at the sight of her best friend. “I’ve missed you!”

She shot to her feet and ran to him, wrapping her good arm around him in a tight hug.

“Someone’s happy,” Mickey commented with a laugh, hugging her back and not missing the sling. They pulled apart and Rose stood up to hug him as well, even though they weren’t dating anymore, they had become good friends. “What’s with the sling?” He asked once he and Rose had pulled apart and he sat down on a chair.

“I got tossed into a wall by a werewolf,” Seren replied with a smile.

Mickey stared at her for a moment before turning to Rose and the Doctor, silently pleading for it to be a joke. No such luck, the two had grim expressions on their faces as they remembered their latest adventure.

“I don’t think I want to know,” Mickey said faintly, looking back at Seren.

“At least Idris was able to heal the concussion and the head wound,” Seren said cheerfully.

“Yeah, I definitely don’t want to know,” Mickey said firmly, putting his laptop on the table. He shook his head and opened his laptop. “Well, it’s a good thing you lot are here. I was gonna call before I decided to first see here.”

“What’s up?” Rose asked, sitting back down on the single and angling her body towards Mickey.

“I have a case you might be interested in.” He said. The words had them all shooting to their feet and crowding around him as he opened his laptop and showed them a website that was active. “This is Deffry Vale High School. I don’t what it is, but something’s going on.”

He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a folder, handing it to Seren.

“And the school has an open English teaching post,” Seren said, reading the contents of the file. She looked back at Mickey, “You do know that my background is in art and athletics, right?”

“You have had top marks in everything except History.” Siwan pointed out, taking the file and looking at it.

“Okay, let’s figure out our cover story as well as whose gonna be going.” The Doctor said with a grin.

“I’m going, you’re going.” Seren started, pointing to herself and the Doctor. Rose raised her hand. “Rose is going.”

She looked at Siwan and Adam.

“I’d love to, but Adam and I still have out jobs at the hospital,” Siwan said regretfully.

“You go, Siwan,” Adam said, making the younger woman look up at him. “I can handle the paperwork for a few weeks.” Siwan raised her eyebrow at him – the man was notorious for not being able to take care of his own paperwork. “Okay, so I can give most of the work to another PA, leaving just the reports for you to nag me about.” He amended, shrugging.

“Thought so,” Siwan muttered, reaching up and kissing his cheek. She turned to Seren with a smile, “Looks like I’m in.”

“Great!” Seren exclaimed. “So, what’s our cover story going to be? And how are we going to get all of you in?”

They spent the next several minutes coming up with ideas and tossing them out before finally settling on one.

“Okay, cover story,” Siwan said as Mickey started the process to get the Doctor and Siwan situated as the Physics teacher and his assistant respectively while Rose would be a lunch lady.

“We’ll be husband and wife again?” Seren asked the Doctor, raising their left hands were their gold rings were still residing.

“Smith’s this time, I think.” The Doctor replied with a grin. “John and Seren Smith.”

“Has a nice ring to it,” Seren said, nodding. “Alright, and Siwan, you’d be my twin.”

“Great,” Siwan said, nodding.

They hashed out the final details of the plan before Seren grabbed a white blazer and a pair of Navy blue 5” heeled pumps, changing her chevron skirt into a knee-length navy blue pencil skirt to give her appearance a sharper look. Siwan changed her capris for a pair of black trousers and grabbed a black blazer as well as a pair of black 5” high heeled peep-toe pumps. Both sisters tied their long hair into high ponytails with matching ribbons – White for Seren and cream for Siwan.

They said their goodbyes to Adam and left the flat, the Immortal promising to keep Jackie informed of what had happened since she had left for work just after the trio returned.

Before leaving the Estate, the Doctor made a stop inside the TARDIS that was parked on the grounds, emerging a few minutes later.

“Seren, take this.” He said, holding out a beautiful diamond ring to her. “Wear it with your perception filter ring on your left hand. Like an engagement ring.”

Seren nodded and held her hand out to him as much as she could with her sling. He gently took the dainty hand and slipped the ring onto her finger, letting it rest snuggly against the thin gold band of her perception filter ring. Once the ring was in place, she looked down at it and had to admire the way it looked, so natural as if it was meant to be on her finger.

It was a single solitaire princess cut diamond with tiny white diamonds encrusted along the band*.

“That is gorgeous,” Siwan said, looking at the ring on her sister’s hand, Mickey whistling in agreement.

“Are we going to go?” Rose asked, slightly waspishly.

“Yea. Let’s go.” Seren said, not noticing the tone.

Siwan looked at Rose with a small frown, wondering what had the blonde so irritated. They piled into Mickey’s car and left the Estate, heading towards Deffry Vale High School to implement their plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two weeks later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good morning class!” Seren said with a smile as she walked into her classroom following the class change.

She was dressed in a short-sleeved black button-down blouse, a peach coloured just-above-the-knee pencil skirt, black 5” peep-toe pumps and an onyx diamond cuff bracelet on her right wrist*. She had a pair of peach coloured diamond studs in her ears and her hair tied back in a half-pony, held by a peach ribbon with a few strands framing her face. On her left hand, she wore her ‘wedding rings’, the arm still encased by the sling.

“Good Morning Mrs Smith!” They replied in unison as she stopped in front of her desk.

She put her peach-coloured clutch on the table and turned to them. Her brow furrowed slightly when she noticed that two students were missing from her class.

“I’m going to start with the roll call, please raise your hand when I call your name,” Seren said, leaning against her table and picking up the attendance register.

She spent the next five minutes calling out each student’s names, and when she got to the two missing students, she marked them as absent. She mentally made a note of the names before putting the register to the side and turning back to the class.

“Okay class, I hope you are prepared for today’s test,” Seren said with a smile as she passed out the test papers face-down. She paused for a moment as the class gave the collective groan. She laughed lightly. “And after the test, if there is time, we will begin to watch a film.” She paused once more as the class cheered. “Shakespeare’s Macbeth.” The class groaned, and she laughed again. “It’s in modern English, so you’ll be fine.” She reached the front of the room and turned to face the class once more. “You all have your test papers. Remember, this is an individual exam, so eyes on your own papers, please. Once you have completed the test, if the time hasn’t ended, simply turn your papers over and you either read a book or put your heads down and rest.” She glanced at the clock and looked back at the class. “You have 45 minutes, starting… now.”

She sat behind her desk as the students turned their papers over and began answering the questions. She resumed marking the papers that had been handed in the day before, and by the last one she was barely managing to keep her surprise concealed at the responses that the students had given.

She had assigned them a literature report that was based at a college entry level, with a little help from Adam to set the topics, so she wasn’t expecting them to hand in reports that rivalled that of college students. But here they were, in black and white, reports that would make college students seem like grade schoolers. Each of them received ‘A’s’ on the reports and she wasn’t sure if she should be surprised or worried.

She glanced at the clock before looking at the class.

“You’re all done?” She asked, unable to keep the surprise off her face, they still had 20 minutes left.

“Yes, Ma’am.” A student in the front replied, nodding.

She nodded and stood up, collecting the papers and setting them on her table before setting up the TV and the film they were going to be watching. She dimmed the lights slightly and pressed ‘play’ before sitting behind her desk and grading the tests.

Once again, she had to hold back her surprise at the grades that each test received – the test was a slightly tweaked version of a University English Literature mid-term. She was jolted out of her shock by the lunch bell ringing and the students going into a mad rush to grab their bags and leave.

“I’ll be handing the tests and yesterday’s papers back tomorrow!” She called to their retreating backs, receiving a few vague sounds of agreement.

She shook her head as she stood up, grabbing her clutch purse and her briefcase, putting the stack of papers she had finished grading inside it, before walking out of the classroom, making sure to close the door behind her. She headed towards the canteen, wanting to get some food before her afternoon lessons. She looked around the lunch room and saw the Doctor and Siwan sitting across from each other near the back across from one another.

She smiled and made her to them, sliding into the seat next to her ‘husband’ and kissing his cheek in greeting.

“Hey,” Siwan said in greeting.

She was wearing an off-white cap-sleeved knee-length pencil dress with a sheer black and off-white patterned layer overtop, an off-white scarf tied around her shoulders, a diamond and pearl bracelet and 5” high heeled off-white suede pumps, her matching bag* on the table beside her. In her ears, she had a pair of diamond studs and her hair was tied in her usual French twist, a few strands had come loose over the course of the morning and framing her face.

“Hello, Seren Rhosyn.” The Doctor said, smiling at her.

He slid his lunch tray towards her, gesturing towards the food. She wrinkled her nose daintily.

“I’ll pass. I’ll eat when we get home.” She said, sliding the tray back to him. 

“I said the same thing,” Siwan said with a smile. “How’s your arm?”

“I still can’t believe I have to wear the sling for another few days,” Seren replied with a groan. “I’m completely healed, I have a clean bill of health from Adam _and_ Idris, yet I still have to wear the blasted thing.”

“You need to keep appearances.” The Doctor reminded her gently, resting his arm on the back of her chair.

“I know,” Seren replied with a groan. “Anyway, have a look at these papers.” She took out two reports from her briefcase and slid one to each of them. “These are the papers they handed in yesterday, from two students. It’s a college level paper I had set for them, yet these students made college students sound like grade schoolers.”

“They shouldn’t be knowing any of this,” Siwan said in a quiet serious voice, reading a paper from the stack in front of her. “Not even if they were reading ahead or taking extra classes.”

The Doctor nodded in agreement, a serious expression on his face as he read one of the papers.

“How many kids this time?” The Doctor asked Seren.

“Two.” She replied quietly with a frown. “From the class just before lunch.”

The three of them looked up when Rose appeared at their table, dressed as a dinner lady with her golden hair covered by a cap and a dishcloth in her hand.

“Two weeks.” The blonde growled as she wiped the table.

“Sorry, could you just… there's a bit of gravy....” The Doctor said teasingly, pointing to a spot on the table the Rose missed. “No, no, just, just there.”

“John,” Seren said with a fond smile, poking him in the shoulder with her good hand to get him to stop teasing the irritated blonde.

“Two weeks we’ve been here,” Rose repeated her earlier statement, complete with the growl.

“Blame Mickey. He's the one who put us onto this.” Siwan said, stemming the blonde’s ire. “And he was right.”

“Boy in class this morning - got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth.” The Doctor explained, becoming serious.

“And my students passed not only a University level test but an equally difficult paper I assigned to them a few days ago,” Seren added.

She took the papers back from Siwan and the Doctor, putting them back in her briefcase which she placed on the table with her clutch purse on top. Siwan pulled out a few files of her paperwork from the hospital that needed to be completed. Adam may have said he would give the work to another PA, it didn’t change the fact that she was the one who still ended up doing his paperwork.

“Are you eating those chips?” Rose asked, gesturing to the chips on the Doctor’s tray.

“Yeah, they're a bit… different.” The Doctor replied as Rose helped herself to one.

“I think they’re gorgeous,” Rose said with a moan as she munched on the chip.  She sat in the empty chair between Siwan and the Doctor. “Wish I’d had school dinners like this.”

“It's very well behaved, this place.” The Doctor commented, leaning back in his chair, one arm still on the back of Seren’s chair.

“You do have a point,” Siwan commented, looking up from her files and around the canteen that was filled with students that were remarkably well-behaved for teenagers.

“Yeah. Remember ours, Siwan?” Seren asked, looking at her sister, who nodded. “It was chaos almost every day.”

“I thought there'd be happy slapping hoodies. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones, eh? Eh?” He looked at Seren with a grin. “Oh, yeah. Don't tell me I don't fit in.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,  _Cariad_ ,” Seren said with a laugh, shaking her head.

He pouted at her, looking pitiful. She kissed his cheek, giggling lightly. Siwan was the only one who noticed the slightly disgruntled expression on Rose’s face at the display of affection between the pair and wondered what was bothering the younger woman. The sapphire-eyed Welshwoman was drawn out of her musings when the head dinner lady approached their table.

“You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting.” The older woman said sternly to Rose.

“I was just talking to these teachers,” Rose said as she stood up, pointing to the twins and the Doctor.

“Hello!” Seren and the Doctor said in unison with matching grins, Siwan looking up and smiling.

“They don’t like the chips,” Rose told the stern woman in a stage-whisper.

“The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance.” The woman said to the three ‘teachers’ in an affronted tone, the smiles fading from their faces. The older woman turned back to Rose, snapping, “Now, get back to work.”

“See, this is me…” Rose said, looking at them and gesturing to her uniform. “Dinner lady.”

“We’ll have the crumble!” The Doctor called to her retreating back.

“I’m so gonna kill you,” Rose muttered as she headed to her station.

The Doctor looked at Seren with a manic grin as she shook her head at him, Siwan returning to the paperwork in front of her. They saw Mr Wagner approach the table in front of them just as Rose moved out of sight.

“Melissa, you'll be joining my class for the next period.” Mr Wagner said to the pony-tailed girl. “Milo's failed me, so it's time we moved you up to the top class.” He turned to the slightly over-weight boy sitting next to Melissa. “Kenny, not eating the chips?”

Kenny, who had been eating a home-prepared meal from a Tupperware container, looked up at the teacher regretfully.

“I’m not allowed.” He told the dark-skinned teacher.

“Luke.” Mr Wagner said, straightening up. “Extra class. Now.”

He turned and walked away, Melissa and Luke following him out of the canteen. The twins and the Doctor watched as Mr Wagner led Melissa and Luke out, exchanging looks. The Doctor glanced up and caught sight of Mr Finch, the school headmaster, observing the occupants of the canteen. Seren followed the Time Lord’s line of sight to the headmaster and couldn’t contain her slight shudder.

“What is it, Seren?” The Doctor asked, feeling the woman’s shudder.

“I don’t know, but something about Mr Finch sets me on edge.” She replied quietly, leaning into the Doctor’s embrace.

“Me, too.” Siwan admitted quietly, glancing up at the headmaster before looking back at her sister and ‘brother-in-law’.

“We’ll keep an eye on him.” The Doctor said softly, reassuringly as the three of them stood up.

“Not much more we can do at the moment,” Seren muttered quietly as she picked up her briefcase and purse, Siwan putting her files back in her own briefcase.

The three walked out of the canteen, the Doctor with his arm around Seren, and headed towards the staffroom for the spare period before their last class of the day.

Siwan put her briefcase and purse down and went straight to adjoining kitchenette, making herself a cup of coffee and tea for Seren and the Doctor, while the ‘couple’ in question sat beside each other on an empty table. The Doctor munched on some biscuits with Seren nicking a few from his hand.

One of the other teachers, Mr Parsons, began pacing in front of them, talking about the students in his class.

“Yesterday, I had a 12-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy… in cubits.” He said, turning to look at them, glancing at Siwan with a grateful nod and accepting the mug of coffee she handed him.

“And it’s ever since the new Headmaster arrived?” The Doctor asked him, accepting the cup of tea from Siwan with a smile.

“Thanks, Siwan,” Seren said, accepting her own mug as the sapphire-eyes woman sat down on a chair beside the table.

“Finch arrived three months ago.” Mr Parsons said. “Next day, half the staff got flu. Finch replaced them with that lot,” The balding portly man gestured towards a group of smartly dressed teachers, standing together near the back wall. “Except for the teacher you and Siwan replaced, and that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that.”

“How’s that weird?” Seren asked, taking a sip of her hot peppermint tea.

“She never played. Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight.” Mr Parsons replied as he walked away from them.

“Hmmm.  The world is very strange.” The Doctor commented with a grin, munching on a biscuit as the twins exchanged knowing looks.

“Excuse me, colleagues. A moment of your time.” Mr Finch said, drawing the teacher’s attention to him as he walked into the staffroom, a middle-aged brunette woman behind him.

The Doctor’s grin faded as he looked at the brunette woman with an expression akin to shock. He stood up from his table perch almost as if in a trance, his gaze never leaving the smiling brunette woman.

“John?” Seren whispered, looking up at him with concern.

“May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith.” Mr Finch said, gesturing to the woman who was smiling at the occupants around the room. “Miss Smith is a journalist who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times. I thought it might be useful for her to get ‘a view from the trenches’, so to speak. Don't spare my blushes.”

He gave Sarah Jane an encouraging smile and walked out of the staffroom. Sarah Jane approached Seren, Siwan and the Doctor, the Time Lord still sporting a shocked expression.

“Hello.” Sarah Jane said to them with a smile.

Seren and Siwan smiled politely at her, shaking the woman’s hand in turns.

“Oh, I should think so!” The Doctor said, the shocked expression becoming a brilliant grin.

The twins shot him identical confused looks.

“And, you are…?” Sarah Jane asked leadingly.

“Hm? Uh, Smith, John Smith. This is my wife, Seren and her sister, Siwan Jones.” The Doctor replied before gesturing to Seren and Siwan respectively, his eyes not moving from the journalist.

“John and Seren Smith?” Sarah Jane repeated with a smile. “I used to have two friends who sometimes went by those names. And another who sometimes went by Siwan Jones.”

The twins turned their confused looks towards Sarah Jane.

“Well, they’re very common names.” The Doctor said with a joyful chuckle.

“They were very uncommon people.” Sarah Jane said in with a reminiscing smile.

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks, realizing the reason behind the Doctor’s strange behaviour – Sarah Jane used to be a Companion, one whom he hadn’t seen in quite some time if his reaction was anything to go by. Seren made a mental note to ask the Doctor about Sarah Jane, their story and adventures together.

“Nice to meet you.” Sarah Jane said, holding her hand out to the Doctor.

“Nice to meet you. Yes, very nice. More than nice. Brilliant.” The Doctor rambled with a wide grin, shaking Sarah Jane’s hand enthusiastically.

“Have you been giving him coffee again?” Siwan asked Seren in a stage whisper as they watched the man’s almost hyperactive behaviour.

Seren shot her sister a look and turned to her ‘husband’.

“ _Cariad_ , you’re rambling.” She said with a giggle, looking up at the Time Lord with a fond look in her eyes.

Sarah Jane giggled as well when the Doctor shot the three women a sheepish look.

“What happened to your arm?” The older woman asked Seren with a concerned expression on her face.

“Gymnastics accident.” Seren replied with a sheepish look on her face. “I miscalculated the distance between the beams and ended up flying into a wall.”

Sarah Jane winced sympathetically as the Doctor turned to his ‘wife’ as the grin faded from his face.

“And I had asked you not to use the beams unless someone was with you, but you refused to listen.” He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him.

“Oh, it’s not so bad.” Seren said, waving her hand dismissively. “A head wound, a mild concussion and a dislocated shoulder. I’ve had worse playing football on the Estate.”

“Um… so, um, have you worked here long?” Sarah Jane asked the three of them, drawing the couple’s attention to her once again.

“No, we’ve only been here two weeks,” Seren replied with a smile.

“Oh, you're new, then.” Sarah Jane commented, stepping a little closer to them and asking quietly, “So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum? So many children getting ill. Doesn't that strike you as odd?”

“You don’t sound like someone just doing a profile,” Siwan commented with a knowing look as the Doctor’s grin widened with each question.

"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here." Sarah Jane replied coolly as she turned and walked away.

"No. Good for you." The Doctor said with a grin. "Oh, good for you Sarah Jane Smith."

He watched her as she greeted the other teachers, the grin still on his face. Seren and Siwan exchanged looks as the bell rang, alerting them to the class change.

"She was one of your Companions?" Seren asked the Doctor as the three of them grabbed their briefcases and the two women picked up their purses as well.

"Yes, she was." The Doctor replied with a reminiscent grin etched across his features.

"Tell me everything," Seren said with an excited squeal, looping her 'uninjured' arm through his, the Time Lord carrying both their briefcases while she held her purse with her 'injured' hand. "Where did you meet? _When_ did you meet? What did you look like? Does she know about regeneration?"

As the Doctor complied with the request, Siwan walked a few paces behind them, a fond smile on her face as she watched the pair. The Time Lord was talking animatedly, telling Seren about his adventures with Sarah Jane, though leaving out the reason and circumstances of their parting. He continued to talk animatedly until they came to Seren's classroom before finally taking a breath.

"Wow," Seren said with a grin. "You certainly had your adventures."

"Yeah." The Doctor replied nodding, a wide grin on his face.

"You'll have to tell me the rest afterwards," She said with a smile, reaching up and kissing his cheek.

He smiled as she went into her class, closing the door behind her. Through the door window, he could see her greeting her students with a gentle smile and beginning the lesson. Siwan shook her head and smiled at the besotted man in front of her, wondering just when he was going to tell Seren that he was in love with her.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face, drawing him out of his daze.

"We have our class to teach, John," The sapphire-eyed Welshwoman said with a smirk on her face.

"I know." The Doctor said defensively, a slight blush staining his cheeks as Siwan's knowing look. "Come on."

He turned and walked away, heading down the corridor. Siwan rolled her eyes and stayed where she was, mentally counting down.

3...

2...

1...

"Our class is that way." The Doctor said sheepishly, walking back toward her and heading in the opposite direction from before. Siwan shook her head in exasperation and followed him.

"These two better get their butts in gear, and soon," She muttered to herself quietly as she followed the Time Lord back to their class.

Entering their class, they saw the students already seated and waiting for them.

"Sorry about the wait," Siwan said with a gentle smile, stopping beside the desk and turning to the students. "Mr Smith here was a little dazed by his wife."

The class laughed as the Doctor blushed at the comment. The Time Lord glared at Siwan who looked at him with a grin. He turned back to the class, the blush still staining his cheeks and called them to order, beginning the lesson.

The rest of the period passed quickly and soon, the Doctor was back in front of Seren's class, waiting for her so they could leave together. Siwan and Rose were already outside, waiting for the pair.

Seren walked out of her class behind the last student, juggling her briefcase and her purse with her good hand.

"Here, let me take the briefcase," The Doctor said with a smile, taking the said bag from the tiny woman.

"Thanks," She said with a smile. "I can't wait until I can get rid of this sling. It is driving me completely bonkers."

She blew a strand of hair away from her face in frustration as he laughed, the two walking down the corridors and making their way out of the building, the Doctor resuming his earlier story.  They made their way to Siwan, joining her and Mickey in the latter's car who was playing chauffeur as well as off-site investigator, the Doctor stopping his story just before reaching the small group. On the drive back to the Estate, they talked about what they had discovered over the course of the day, and their plan for the evening - breaking in after dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once night fell, the small group returned to the school. The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to open a fire door, leading the small group through the empty and darkened corridors.

"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night," Rose muttered, looking around at the darkened surroundings. She had changed out of her ‘dinner lady’ uniform and was wearing a yellow shirt with a zipped up hoodie overtop and a pair of denim jeans and running shoes. "It just feels wrong. When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school."

"What's wrong with that?" Seren asked in confusion, walking directly behind the Doctor and turning her head to look at the blonde. "I don't see anything strange about that."

Seren still had her arm in her sling, having been outvoted by the others on whether to leave it at the flat - their reasoning being that if they were to get caught or seen, she would need to maintain her cover of being injured. She managed to make use of her sling by tucking her clutch purse inside it, nestling it between the padding and her arm, keeping it out of the way but still easily accessible.

"You and Siwan went to a boarding school were everyone _did_ sleep at the school," Rose sniped in response, barely keeping her tone polite.

Seren looked at her in confusion, wondering what had caused Rose to be so irritable, almost rude, to her. The blonde had been like that since almost the moment they returned to their own time following their adventure with the werewolf in 1879, ever since she and the Doctor acted like a married couple.

"All right, team," The Doctor said, turning to the group. He made a face at the term, saying, "Oh, I hate people who say 'team'. Um, gang. Um... comrades." He shook his head and became serious. "Anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen. Get a sample of that oil. Mickey, Siwan, the new staff are all Maths teachers. Go and check out the Maths department. Seren and I will go to look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes."

"Be careful." Seren cautioned as she and the Doctor took off up the stairs.

"You going to be all right?" Rose asked Mickey, the Doctor and Seren's footsteps fading away.

"Me?" Mickey asked the blonde with a scoff as she and Siwan looked at him. "Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this."

He turned and walked away. Siwan and Rose looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Men," Siwan muttered, mentally counting down.

3...

2...

1...

Mickey returned, a sheepish expression on his face.

"Where's the Maths department?" He asked.

"Come on," Siwan said, taking his arm and leading him in the opposite direction. "It's down here, through the left fire doors and on the right."

Rose watched the pair move out of sight and turned, heading towards the kitchen to get a sample of the oil.

Upstairs, Seren and the Doctor walked down the corridor towards Finch's office, stopping when they heard the sound of screeching and flapping wings in the distance.

"You heard that, right?" Seren asked the taller man beside her.

"Yeah," He replied quietly.

They looked at each other and changed directions, heading instead to find the source of the noise.

"You know, this feels eerily similar to a horror film," Seren muttered quietly as they turned a corner and hurried down the corridor.

The Doctor smirked at her in response, the expression fading when they caught sight of Sarah Jane. The woman was walking backwards away from the storeroom that the Doctor had parked the TARDIS in, looking as though she had seen a ghost. She turned around slowly and looked at the pair behind her, shock, hope and sorrow warring on her beautiful and aged features.

"Hello, Sarah Jane," The Doctor said quietly.

"It's you," Sarah Jane breathed, wide-eyed. "Oh... Doctor..." The shock gave way to a smile that slowly spread across her face. "Oh, my God, it's you, isn't it?" She walked towards them slowly, looking the Time Lord up and down. "You've regenerated."

"Yeah," The Doctor replied, nodding. "Half a dozen times since we last met."

Seren, who was standing next to him, reached out and took his hand in silent support, and he squeezed it in response. Sarah Jane smiled softly at the action.

"And Time Lady Astraea's with you as well," She said, looking at Seren. She turned back to the Doctor, "Where's Time Lady Aludra?"

"I'm not a Time Lady," Seren said gently, looking at Sarah Jane with a slightly confused look. "I'm Seren Jones."

"It's nice to meet you, again." Sarah Jane said with an earnest smile, looking at the breath-taking woman before her and marveling at the uncanny resemblance to someone she had loved dearly. "You and Siwan are twins? That part of your cover story was true?"

"Yeah," Seren replied with a nod, deciding against getting into the time travelling mishap they had been through the previous year. "It's nice to meet someone else who has travelled with the Doctor and Idris, who knows them as well. I assume you have many stories you can share?"

"Yeah, I definitely do." Sarah Jane said with a laugh, nodding.

The two women giggled at the pout the Doctor shot them. A part of the Time Lord was almost afraid of what the two could tell each other, but another part, a bigger part, was glad he could share this with Seren. He knew that he would need to explain to Seren about who Astraea and Aludra were, and his suspicions about Seren and Siwan as well. He prayed that Seren would accept him once more after knowing the truth, the truth he should have told her once he realized the possibility of his suspicions being true.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah Jane asked once she and Seren had got their giggling under control.

"Well... UFO sighting, school gets record results. We couldn't resist." The Doctor replied with a grin. "What about you?"

"Same," Sarah Jane replied with a grin of her own. It faltered after a moment as sorrow crept onto her features. "I thought you'd died." She said softly, tears filling her eyes. "I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must have died."

She didn't mention how she had waited for Astraea and Aludra as well, though the Doctor's sad expression told her he knew.

"I lived. Everyone else died." The Doctor said softly, sadly.

Seren hugged him with one arm, silently offering him some comfort as he remembered his people.

"What do you mean?" Sarah Jane asked hesitantly.

"Everyone died, Sarah," He said softly in quiet pain, wrapping his arm around Seren as she hugged him with her 'uninjured' arm.

"Even...?"

"They were among the first."

A tear slid down the Time Lord's face as he remembered seeing them, laying on the ground. Their jewelled eyes open and unseeing, the folds of their skirts pooling around them and their long raven blue hair fanning out around their still forms - they looked as if they were sleeping if not for the wounds and the lifeless eyes.

Sarah Jane shook her head in disbelief, a few tears making their way down her cheeks at the news. She remembered Aludra, the sweet little sapphire-eyed girl that was mostly dressed in adorable dresses and had the Doctor wrapped around her tiny fingers. She remembered Astraea, the kind and gentle gold-rimmed amethyst eyed woman who would keep the Doctor from getting too carried away, who would always show kindness and compassion to everyone she met.

"I can't believe it's you." Sarah Jane said softly, her disbelief clear on her face as she fought to keep her memories of the past in the past.

The quiet moment was broken by the sound of a scream echoing through the school.

“That sounds like Mickey!” Seren exclaimed.

“Okay, now I can!” Sarah Jane exclaimed as the three of them ran towards the sound, the Doctor holding both their hands.

They ran down the corridor and nearly crashed into Rose, who was running from a converging corridor.

"Did you hear that?" Rose asked Seren and the Doctor. She then noticed Sarah Jane as well as the way the Doctor was holding her hand. She shot the older woman a light glare, looking the brunette up and down. "Who's she?"

 "Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose." The Doctor said, gesturing to each woman as he introduced her.

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Sarah Jane said to Rose, shaking the blonde's hand before turning to the Time Lord. "You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants are getting younger."

Seren bit back a snort as the Doctor scratched his ear uncomfortably.

"I'm not his assistant." Rose ground out through gritted teeth.

"No?" Sarah Jane asked with a smirk.

The Doctor grabbed Seren's non-slinged hand and pulled her down the corridor, deciding to just stay quiet and head towards the scream. Sarah Jane followed them and Rose gave her back one last glare before following. They went into the Maths classroom that the scream originated from and saw Mickey helping Siwan to her feet. All around them were vacuum-packed rats.

"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me." Mickey said as Siwan fixed her dress that had ridden up her thighs from her fall.

"You told us to investigate, so we-we started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell on us." The sapphire-eyed woman said breathlessly as Seren wrapped her arms around her.

Siwan was terrified of rats, having been so ever since a prank went wrong when they were children and she had been bitten by several, resulting in her ending up hospitalized for several days.

"Oh, my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats." Rose said faintly, looking at the rats as the Doctor crouched down and examined them. "Vacuum-packed rats."

"And you decided to scream." The Doctor said teasingly to Mickey, standing up with one packet still in his hand.

"It took me by surprise!" Mickey cried defensively.

"I don't blame him. If he hadn't, I would've." Siwan muttered quietly, holding Seren's arm tightly.

"Like a little girl?" The Doctor sniped at Mickey, not hearing Siwan's comment.

"It was dark! We were covered in rats!"

Siwan shuddered lightly at the reminder.

"Doctor, that's enough," Seren said sternly before turning to Mickey and Siwan, the latter still holding to her arm in a tight grip. "Are the two of you all right?"

"Yeah, thanks Seren," Mickey said, looking at his beautiful best friend with a smile.

"Yeah. It just took me by surprise." Siwan said, letting go of Seren and picking up her purse that had fallen the ground when she fell.

"9, maybe 10 years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt." The Doctor said spitefully, not having noticed Siwan's genuine fear of the rats.

"Doctor, enough!" Seren said firmly, stepping towards him and looking at him with a glare.

He narrowed his eyes at her and looked away, still irritated. His gaze fell on Siwan, who was looking at the ground with fear on her face and his irritation and petulance faded, seeing that the younger woman was genuinely terrified.

"Hello, can we focus?" Rose asked, drawing their attention to her. "Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?"

"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them." Sarah Jane commented before turning to Rose. "Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?"

Siwan and Mickey, who were watching the two like a tennis match, exchanged looks, wondering who the new woman was and what had caused the tension between her and Rose.

"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years." Rose snarked back. "Where are you from, the Dark Ages?"

"Anyway, moving on." The Doctor said quickly, preventing the two women from going any further with their verbal sparring match. They still gave each other very dirty looks as the Doctor continued, "Everything started when Mr Finch arrived. We should go and check his office."

He tossed the packet he was holding to Mickey, who promptly let it drop to the floor, and walked out of the classroom, followed by the rest of the group.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose asked, walking beside the journalist, in front of the Doctor and Seren with Mickey and Siwan bringing up the rear.

"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor." Sarah Jane replied proudly.

"Oh! Well, he's never mentioned ya." Rose said with a sneering smile.

Seren frowned in confusion at Rose's possessiveness while Siwan sighed and shook her head.

"Oh, I must've done! Sarah Jane!" The Doctor said. "Mention her all the time."

"Hold on..." Rose said, cocking her head to the side and pretending to think. She shook her head as she said, "Sorry... never."

Sarah Jane turned her head to look at Seren, who froze and looked back with a 'deer-in-the-headlights' expression.

"What, not even once?" Sarah Jane asked Seren as Rose walked on. "He didn't mention me even once?"

"He told me about you today after we met in the staff room," Seren said helpfully, but only managed to annoy the woman further.

Siwan winced at Seren inadvertently putting the Time Lord in more hot water with his former Companion. The brunette woman huffed in annoyance and followed Rose, intending to probe further.

"Ho, ho, mate! The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare." Mickey chortled, patting the Time Lord's shoulder.

At his comment, Seren threw him a fierce glare that caused him to freeze in fear and stormed off after Sarah Jane and Rose. Siwan shook her head at the Londoner's idiocy and smacked him across the back of the head with a glare aimed at the Doctor before storming off as well.

"They're pissed." The Doctor muttered as they scrambled after the furious women.

They caught up with the women just outside of Finch’s office, both eternally grateful that the women no longer seemed ready to kill them.

"Maybe those rats were food." The Doctor suggested as he used his screwdriver to open the office door.

"Food for what?" Rose asked as the Doctor opened the door and peered inside.

Seren frowned at the strange sounds that seemed to be coming from inside the office, Siwan with the same frown on her face.

"Rose... you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school?" The Doctor asked the blonde as he opened the door wider and stepped in. "Well, they do."

Rose and Seren stepped in beside him as Siwan, Sarah Jane and Mickey peered in through the doorway. Their eyes widened in shock and stared at the sight in front of them - giant bat-like creatures were hanging from the ceiling, fast asleep.

"No way!" Mickey whispered loudly, barely managing not to shout.

He turned and ran back down the corridor they had been in with Rose right behind him, the rest turning and following at a slightly more sedate run. The Doctor closed the office door behind him, not realizing that the noise they made had woken one of the bat-like creatures up.

Mickey didn't stop running until they were outside the school, bursting through the doors and coming to a stop in the schoolyard.

"I am not going back in there!" Mickey exclaimed panting. "No way!"

"Those were teachers!" Rose exclaimed, just as out of breath as Mickey.

"When Finch arrived," The Doctor began as he walked out of the school calmly, Seren next to him with Sarah Jane and Siwan behind them. "He brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse. 13. 13 big bat people." He turned back towards the school and began walking back inside. "Come on."

"Come on? You've got to be kidding!" Mickey exclaimed as everyone but he turned to follow the Time Lord back into the school.

"I need the TARDIS." The Doctor said, turning back to look at Mickey. "I've got to analyse that oil from the kitchen."

"I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you." Sarah Jane said excitedly, taking the Doctor and Seren's arms and pulling them towards her car. The rest exchanged looks and shrugged, following the trio. Sarah Jane opened the boot of her car and inside was a blanket covered lump. The Doctor reached out and removed the blanket revealing a tin dog, one of the side panels missing and revealing the circuitry inside.

"K-9!" The Doctor exclaimed happily with a wide grin. "Seren Jones, Siwan Jones, Mickey Smith, Rose Tyler, allow me to introduce K9 - well, K9 Mark Three to be precise."

Seren and Siwan peered inside, looking at the tin dog interestedly while Rose and Mickey looked unimpressed.

"Why does he look so disco?" Rose asked with a grimace.

"Oi!' The Doctor exclaimed affronted, straightening up and looking at the two unimpressed humans. "Listen, in the year 5000, this was cutting edge." He turned to Sarah Jane. "What's happened to him?"

"Oh, one day, he just," Sarah Jane clicked her tongue and shrugged. "Nothing."

"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?" The Doctor asked.

Rose and Mickey looked at them in complete confusion, not understanding the significance of the tin dog. The twins were the only ones who understood that there was a significance to K9, even if they didn't know what that significance was.

"Somehow, I don't think it's like getting parts at the Mini Metro," Seren said, looking up at the man with a pointed look.

"Besides, the technology inside him could rewrite human science." Sarah Jane added. "I couldn't show him to anyone."

"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you, eh?" The Doctor cooed to K9, petting the side of the dog's metal head.

As the Time Lord cooed and stroked K9, Sarah Jane threw Rose a triumphant look.

"Look, no offence, but could you two just stop petting for a minute?" Rose asked the Doctor and Sarah Jane in irritation. "Never mind the tin dog. We're busy."

The Doctor closed the boot gently, grinning. They piled into the car, Sarah Jane in the driver seat with Siwan beside her, Seren and the Doctor behind them with Rose and Mickey in the very back. Siwan gave Sarah Jane directions to a nearby coffee/ chip shop where they could rest while the Doctor tried to repair K9, with most of the group wanting to avoid going back to the school for the time being.

Inside the shop, Seren and Siwan sat at a table while Mickey and Rose placed an order of coffee and chips for themselves, the Doctor and Sarah Jane sitting at the table behind them with K9 on the cloth-covered surface. Seren had given her clutch purse to the Doctor, the bigger-on-the-inside purse containing all sorts of items that he could use to repair K9. Before giving the purse to the Time Lord, she had taken the jar containing the oil sample out and given it to Rose for safe keeping.

Siwan pulled out her PDA and began working, checking to make sure Adam had signed the stack of paperwork she had given him so that she could input them into the hospital database. Seren glanced at the Doctor and Sarah Jane behind them, happy that the two were able to catch up after such a long time. A part of her wondered why the Doctor never went back to see her, before realizing that it was probably too difficult for him - his Companions could spend their entire lives with him, but he could never spend his entire life with them. Rose and Mickey sat down at their table, Rose next to Siwan and Mickey next to Seren.

The blonde munched on her chips, a glare aimed at Sarah Jane etched firmly on her pretty face.

"Rose, stop glaring at them, please." Seren chided the blonde gently. Rose turned her glare onto Seren, who sighed. "You're acting as if he's cheated on you or something."

"She has no right to come and act as if he'll want her to travel with him again." Rose muttered angrily.

"Neither do you, Rose," Siwan said calmly, looking up from her PDA and earning herself a glare from the blonde. "You're his Companion, nothing more, nothing less."

Seren looked between the two women in confusion, wondering what prompted Siwan's comment.

"Of course Rose is a Companion," Seren said, a confused frown marring her stunning features. "What else would she be?"

Rose turned and glared at Seren, knowing the woman meant the comment innocently but feeling a surge of unexplained anger fill her.

"What makes you think you're so special?” Rose hissed, glaring at Seren furiously. "I'm Seren Jones, I'm a Chosen One of the Mara and I'm immortal." Seren's eyes widened at the words being thrown at her, sorrow and pain filling her. "I'm so special, I can't die! I get to stay young and beautiful for-"

Her quietly hissed words were cut off abruptly as a slap rang through the shop. Rose stared at Siwan in shock, a hand on her reddening cheek, the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Mickey - the only patrons of the shop aside from the staff who weren't in sight- stared at her in equal shock, though for different reasons. The sapphire-eyed Welshwoman was on her feet and looking at the blonde next to her with fury pouring off her in waves, Seren was staring at Rose in shock with her large gold-rimmed eyes filled with tears.

Seren stood up and ran out of the shop, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't say another word." Siwan hissed at Rose, who had opened her mouth to speak. Siwan turned to a shell-shocked Mickey. "Go after her. It's not safe for her to be alone, we have no idea what we're up against until we can analyse the oil sample." Mickey nodded and wasted no time in running out of the shop. Through the window, they could see him approach the distraught Welshwoman. Siwan turned to the Doctor and Sarah Jane, "You two get back to trying to fix K9. This is a conversation between Rose and myself that is long overdue." The Doctor and Sarah Jane nodded numbly and went back to their task, talking amongst themselves though still wondering what it was that caused Siwan to slap Rose. Siwan turned back to Rose, her words quiet and filled with anger at the younger woman.

"You are going to listen to me, Rose, and you are going to listen well. Because if I ever hear you saying such things again, I will not hesitate to tell Aunt Jackie everything Seren and I have covered up for you over the years." Siwan paused for a moment as Rose nodded numbly, still shocked at being slapped by the normally non-violent woman. "Seren has let you walk all over her for years, ever since you were old enough to use your words for your own gain. Any person that showed the slightest bit of interest in her, you have drawn away. You may have looked up to her as a person of strength with everything she has done for me, for you and for Aunt Jackie, but that doesn't change the fact that you have always,  _always_  walked over her whenever it suited you. Do you want to know what is so special about Seren? It's because she has the heart of innocence, she never saw the darkness of the world despite everything that has happened to her. She only ever sees the wonder and the beauty of the worlds around her. Haven’t you seen the pain in her eyes as she watches you all get older? Every birthday, every Christmas, every holiday, she watches you get older while she stays the same, never changing and knowing it was her own decision that caused her this pain." Siwan took a breath, letting the blonde know exactly what her actions were doing to the woman who had returned from death for them. "Humans decay; you wither and you die. You can spend your life with us, but we can never spend our lives with you. Even if I don't make my Choice, or I Choose mortality, I still have a longer lifespan than any of you. Out of all of us, Seren is the one who can understand the Doctor, his pain, his suffering, his  _loneliness_. So she fell in love with him, big deal! She finally found someone whom she can spend forever with; even if it's just as friends, she can take comfort in the fact that she won't be alone for eternity.” She stepped into Rose's personal space, her eyes becoming hard as the jewels they represented. "If you get in the way of the two of them being together, I swear I will never forgive you. She finally found someone who can love her for who she is, someone whom she won't see die while she lives, and I am not going to let you get in the way of their relationship." Siwan finished speaking and walked out of the shop, feeling Rose's gaze bore into her back.

Siwan looked around the car park and saw Seren and Mickey leaning against Sarah Jane's car, her sister wrapped in her best friend's arms as she laid her head on his chest. She walked up to them and stood beside Seren, seeing the tear tracks on the older woman's pale-white cheeks.

"You okay?" Siwan asked softly.

"Yeah," Seren replied with a trembling smile. "I just can't believe that's what Rose thinks our life is."

“Well, that's Rose," Siwan muttered darkly, crossing her arms. "She had always walked over you, but you were too oblivious and preoccupied with other things to notice."

The sapphire-eyed woman was usually a very calm and level-headed woman, never letting what other people think to influence her. She had seen Rose's behaviour over the years, as well as Seren's obliviousness to it. Since it never bothered Seren, Siwan had let it slide - if the woman it affected didn't care, then she wasn't going to get involved. But seeing Seren's tears, the first time she had seen the woman cry because of Rose's words, something inside her snapped and she knew she had to set the blonde straight. Rose had always been somewhat spoilt, not only by Jackie but by all of them. Jackie, missing her husband, tended to somewhat overcompensate when it came to her daughter; Glenda and Ifan, missing their best friend and seeing him in Rose, did the same though never making their own daughters feel less important to them; the twins and Rhiannon, missing their beloved Uncle, did everything they could to ensure that Rose never felt his loss and absence.

Seren sighed and leaned her head against Mickey's chest. They were silent, each lost in their thoughts until Sarah Jane stuck her head out of the shop.

“Hey, K9’s ready.” The older woman said, drawing the three of them out of their thoughts and to her. “We’re about to run the analysis.”

“Coming.” Seren said, wiping her face with her ‘uninjured’ hand.

The three walked back into the shop just as a slightly sulky Rose handed the oil sample jar to the Doctor. Seren stood next to the Time Lord, who shot her a concerned look before turning his attention to the jar in his hand and unscrewing the lid.

“I wouldn’t touch it, though.” Rose said when the Doctor moved to dip his fingers into the jar. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “That dinner lady got all scorched.”

“I'm no dinner lady.” The Doctor replied, causing Seren to snort in amusement. He paused before adding as an after-thought, “And I don't often say that.” He dipped his finger into the jar and smeared a sample of the oil on K9’s antenna probe. “Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go.”

He closed the jar and handed it to Seren, who put it back in her purse. He folded his arms as they looked at the tin dog.

“Oil. Ex-ex-ex-extract.” K9 said. “Ana-ana-analysing.”

“Listen to him, man. That's a voice.” Mickey said with a chuckle.

“Careful. That’s my dog.” Sarah Jane admonished him, wiping the smile of the younger Smith’s face.

“Confirmation of analysis. Substance is Krillitane Oil.” K9 said.

“They’re Krillitanes.” The Doctor breathed, wide-eyed in shock as he looked up.

“How bad is that?” Seren asked with a wince, looking up at him. She didn’t like the expression on the Time Lord’s face, giving her a bad feeling about the race.

“Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad.” The Doctor replied, the wide-eyed expression still etched across his features.

“And what are Krillitanes?” Sarah Jane asked, also not liking the expression on the Doctor’s face.

“They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by. You've got bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever. The Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry pick the best bits from the people they destroy.” He explained with a slight growl. “That's why I didn't recognise them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks.”

“What are they doing here?” Rose asked.

“It’s got to be the children.” Siwan said, her eyes going wide at the possibility. “They’ve got to be doing something to the children.”

“We have to get back to the school.” Seren said. “Find out what they’re doing with the children.”

There were nods from everyone and they moved to pack up their belongings. Sarah Jane and Mickey carried K9 out of the shop and to the car while Siwan, still furious with Rose, dragged the blonde out behind them. Seren and the Doctor walked out last, taking one last glance around the shop to make sure they had taken everything.

“Are you okay?” The Doctor asked her softly as they stepped out of the shop, putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving a way.

“Yeah,” Seren replied quietly, not looking at him. “I just… Is this what it’s going to be like?” She looked back at him, sorrow swimming in the depths of her large eyes. “We saw Merneith and Djet when we went to New Earth, but… we’re going to lose everyone else. Aunt Jackie, Rose, Mickey, Rhi, Johnny, the kids. Everyone will die, while we live on. Together or separate, we will still watch everyone we love die.” She broke off and looked towards the car where Sarah Jane and Mickey were talking by the boot while Siwan was keeping a watch on Rose by the side door. “I know there were other Companions before me. Before Sarah Jane. I’m not naïve enough to think that you spent all these years travelling alone.” She looked back at him as he watched her with sorrow-filled eyes. “But you rarely talk about any of them after parting ways.”

“It’s too painful.” He said softly, taking her hand in his larger one.

“Is that how it will be with Rose? Or with Mickey and the others if, or when, they begin travelling with us? Are you going to take them on these amazing adventures, showing them unimaginable wonders and discoveries before dropping them off somewhere and leaving them to wonder where you are while trying to cope and adjust to an ordinary life?”  He stared at her in silence, unable to say anything knowing that it was very possible that one day he would part ways with them and not be able to cope with the pain of seeing them again. “Will you do that with me as well? One day, when you tire of me, many years in the future, will you leave me behind as well?”

His quiet stare went from resigned to hurt and angry as he held her upper arms firmly. He made her look at him, bending so that he could look into her eyes.

“I would never do that to you, Seren. Never to you. I promised forever to you, and to that I hold.” He said firmly, the power of his race and the Oncoming Storm swirling in the depths of his brown eyes.

“I knew what the price was when I made my Choice, but I didn’t realize the scope of it until now.” She said softly as he let go of her arms and cupped her face gently. “Losing them will hurt, I know that but I can survive it. But I don’t know if I can survive losing someone whom I-”

She cut herself off and looked away as much as she could with her face still in his hands. He gently turned her face back to him, looking at her intensely.

“Someone whom you what, Seren?” He asked quietly.

“Someone whom I love.” She whispered, a single tear making its way down her cheek that he brushed away gently. “I guess that’s the curse of the Chosen Ones of the Mara, isn’t it?”

“And of the Time Lords.” He said as they both chuckled sadly.

They were startled from their conversation by a loud shriek. Turning to the sound, they found Finch and a Krillitane in bat-form on the building roof opposite them. The bat-formed Krillitane shrieked again and swooped down towards the small group, who had moved closer together once they heard the shrieking.

They all ducked, the Doctor wrapping his arms around Seren and protecting the tiny woman with his body. The bat-formed Krillitane was an inch above Sarah Jane before it flew up towards the sky, quickly becoming a mere speck in the distance of the moonlit night.

“Was that a Krillitane?” Sarah Jane asked, looking in the direction that the creature flew off in.

“But it didn't even touch her. It just flew off. What did it do that for?” Rose asked, her eyes wide.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” The Doctor muttered, his arms still around Seren.

Rose noticed the Time Lord’s arms around Seren and her eyes narrowed slightly, a part of her wishing  _she_  were in her god-sister’s place, but she remembered Siwan’s warning and looked away. Seren deserved the Doctor’s love, she had seen his love for her in his previous incarnation, as well as in the past few weeks that they had been traveling together. Siwan was right, Rose had walked all over Seren for years, not that Seren actually realized. It was time that she stopped behaving like a spoiled child and started being the woman her father would be proud of, the woman her father saw as he lay dying on the road.

Despite this epiphany, she held to her feelings of dislike towards Sarah Jane even if Seren liked the older woman. Rose didn’t like how the older woman just turned up, expecting to be part of the adventures once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, the small group returned to the school in Sarah Jane’s car. They got out and strode purposefully across the school yard towards the front doors, all around them students were catching up and making their way inside as well.

“Rose and Sarah, you go to the Maths room.” The Doctor said, stopping a few feet away from the car and issuing the orders. “Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this.” He pulled his screwdriver out of his pocket and Rose held her hand out for it, only for the Doctor to hand it to Sarah Jane. Rose looked peeved, despite Sarah Jane having more experience with the device than the blonde. “Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside.”

He began walking and the women followed, the Time Lord putting his hands in his pockets.

“Just stand outside?” Mickey called to their retreating backs.

“Here, take these.” Sarah Jane said as she tossed the Londoner the car keys. “You can keep K9 company.”

“Don't forget to leave the window open a crack.” The Doctor called to him.

“But he’s metal!” Mickey exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

“I didn’t mean for him.” The Doctor called without breaking his stride.

Seren shook her head in exasperation at the ribbing.

“What are you three going to do?” Rose asked, referring to the twins and the Doctor.

“It’s time we had a word with Mr. Finch.” The Doctor said darkly.

They went inside the building and parted ways. It didn’t take very long before they spotted Mr. Finch and he spotted them. He looked at the three of them before turning and walking away, making no move to conceal his tracks.

“I don’t like this.” Siwan muttered as Mr. Finch entered the swimming pool.

“We need to find out what he’s up to.” The Doctor reminded her.

She nodded and let out a breath, gently blowing the strands of hair that framed her face, having come loose from her previous day’s French twist. Like the rest of them, the twins were still wearing the clothes they had been wearing the previous day, Seren also still wearing her sling, much to her irritation.

The Doctor opened the swimming pool doors and stepped through them, holding it open for the two women to enter behind him. They walked up to the edge of the pool seeing Mr. Finch on the opposite side and leaning back casually against the wall.

“Who are you?’ The Doctor asked without preamble as the two women stood on either side of him.

“My name is Brother Lassa.” Mr. Finch replied. “And you?”

“The Doctor and the Chosen Ones of the Mara.” The Doctor replied. “Since when did the Krillitanes have wings?”

“It's been our form for nearly 10 generations now.” Mr. Finch – Brother Lassa - said, walking slowly along the pool deck. “Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day. Just imagine.”

“And now you’re shaped human.” Seren commented.

“A personal favourite, that's all.” Brother Lassa replied.

“And the others?” Siwan asked.

“My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath.” Brother Lassa replied as they slowly began walking towards each other. “And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and… chaos. But of course, they’re all but extinct. Only you three. The last.”

Seren and Siwan frowned, both wondering why they were thought of as Time Ladies.

“This plan of yours, what is it?” The Doctor questioned Brother Lassa, though he noticed the twins’ confusion at being called Time Ladies.

He knew the time was coming to tell them, to tell  _Seren,_  the truth about his past, about Astraea and Aludra.

“You don’t know.” Brother Lassa commented with a smirk. 

“That’s why I’m asking.” The Doctor said as they faced each other on the same side of the pool deck, the Doctor and the twins on one side with Brother Lassa on the other.

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks at the tension that filled the air, the two males facing each other as rivals.

“Well, show me how clever you are.” Brother Lassa said tauntingly as he stepped towards the Time Lord. “Work it out.”

“If I don't like it, then it will stop.” The Doctor warned, not backing down as the human-formed Krillitane stood a hair’s breath away from him.

“Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence.” Brother Lassa commented as he stared intently at the Time Lord. “You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?”

“I'm so old now. I used to have so much mercy.” The Doctor said quietly, almost tiredly. Seren and Siwan shot him concerned looks, Seren discreetly putting a comforting hand on the back of his shoulder and he relaxed ever so slightly in response. “You get one warning. That was it.”

The Doctor turned and Seren let her hand drop as they began walking away.

“But we're not even enemies.” Brother Lassa said to their retreating backs. “Soon… you will embrace us.” The three of them turned and looked at Brother Lassa as he continued. “The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you.”

He walked passed them with a knowing smirk and left the pool arena, the Doctor, Seren and Siwan watching him suspiciously.

“Okay, first Sarah Jane calls me a Time Lady and now Brother Lassa. And not only me, but Siwan as well.” Seren said looking up at the Time Lord beside her once the Kirillitane was out of sight. “Any particular reason why?”

“I’ll explain later.” The Doctor muttered as he walked out of the pool arena, walking to delay the pending conversation as long as possible.

“Oh, you definitely will. I’ll make sure of it.” Seren muttered as she and Siwan walked out of the pool arena behind him.

The Doctor led the way to the Maths department’s IT classroom with rapid steps, adamantly refusing to look at the two women as he heard Seren’s comment, a big part of him afraid she would reject him when he finally told her. She had already stood by him through so much, he was afraid that this might just be the one thing she couldn’t handle.

Within minutes, they entered the classroom to the sight of Sarah Jane and Rose laughing.

“How’s it going?” The Doctor asked the two laughing women. They looked at him and continued laughing. “What?” He asked obliviously. “Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these.”

Their laughter quickly advanced to hysteria as Seren, Siwan and the Doctor looked at them in confusion, and no small amount of concern.

“What?” The Doctor asked, genuinely confused, as Rose pointed at him with the screwdriver, still laughing hysterically. “Stop it.”

Rose and Sarah Jane continued laughing, stopping abruptly as they heard an announcement echo through the school over the PA system.

_“All pupils to class immediately. And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room.”_

The Doctor took the screwdriver from Rose and began working one the CPU, seeing that the two women hadn’t been able to. Siwan, hearing the students coming towards the classroom they were in, hurried to the door and blocked the entrance.

“No, no. This classroom's out of bounds.” The sapphire-eyed woman said, turning the students away and directing them further down the corridor. “You've all got to go to the South Hall. Off you go. South Hall!”

She closed the door and made her way back to the Doctor and Seren, the Companion helping the Time Lord while Sarah Jane and Rose watched. The Doctor looped the wires around his shoulders and neck as he used the screwdriver on the CPU.

“I can’t shift it.” He said frustrated, looking at the CPU closely.

“I thought the screwdriver could open anything!” Sarah Jane exclaimed.

Rose, who was standing just behind them, nodded in agreement.

“Anything except a deadlock seal.” Seren said before adding as an afterthought, “And wood.”

The Doctor sent her an unimpressed look at the second part of her comment and she smiled sweetly at him.

“There’s got to be something inside here.” He said as Siwan walked up to them and stood beside Rose. “What are they teaching those kids?”

All of the screens in the classroom turned on, lighting up in green with alien symbols flashing rapidly.

“You wanted the programme?” Sarah Jane asked in confirmation, her and Rose looking at the screen in front of them.

“There it is.” Siwan said, looking at a screen in the row ahead of them. She had her scarf and bag on the table next to her.

The Doctor looked at the computer screens before looking up at the large screen mounted on the wall, containing the same scene as the computer monitors.

“Some sort of code.” He said as it started to resolve itself. For several seconds, the five of them watched the large screen as the code resolved itself, the Time Lord becoming increasingly shocked. “No.” He said faintly, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen. “No, that can't be.”

“What is it Doctor?” Siwan asked, unnerved by the alarmed expression on his face.

“The Skasis Paradigm.” He said softly, not looking at her. “They’re trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm.”

“The Skasis what?” Sarah Jane asked in confusion.

“The God maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control.” The Doctor explained.

“And the kids are like a giant computer.” Seren added in horrified realization.

 “And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil.” The Doctor continued with a nod as he began pacing. “That oil from the kitchens, it works as a - as a conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer.”

“But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them.” Rose said, scared.

“What’s 59 x 35?” Seren asked, looking at her.

“2065” Rose replied automatically before her eyes widened in shock and alarm. “Oh, my God.”

“But why use children?” Sarah Jane asked, worried for the children. “Can’t they use adults?”

“No, it's got to be children. The God maker needs imagination to crack it.” The Doctor said as he stopped pacing and stood next to Seren.

"Oh,  _Duw,_  they're not just using the children's brains to break the code, they're using their _souls_.” Seren breathed in shock.

Behind them, Brother Lassa entered the room quietly.

“Let the lesson begin.” He said, causing them to whip around and look at him. “Think of it, Doctor. With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the Universe and improve it.”

“Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mr Finch?” The Doctor asked sarcastically, his hands in his pockets. “Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are.”

“You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order? Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good.” Brother Lassa said, walking slowly towards him and Seren.

“What? By someone like you?” Seren asked incredulously, looking at the human form Krillitane.

“No, someone like you.” Brother Lassa told the two of them. The woman went silent, looking at him dumbfounded, not having expected that response. Beside her, the Doctor went completely silent as well. “The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become Gods at my side. Imagine what you both could do. Think of the civilisations you could save. Perganon, Assinta. Your own people, Doctor, yours and Seren’s people standing tall. The Time Lords … reborn.”

A part of Seren, the part that wasn’t tempted, noticed being referred to as a Time Lady again.

“Doctor, Seren, don’t listen to him.” Sarah Jane said from behind them.

“They could be with you throughout eternity Seren.” Brother Lassa said, looking at Seren. “Young… fresh… never wither, never age… never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor, Seren.” He looked at them both as Seren glanced at Sarah Jane and Rose, so tempted to accept so that she wouldn’t lose them to the ravages of time. “Join us.”

“I could save them from having to die…” Seren whispered, looking back at Brother Lassa.

“Yes.” He replied softly, gently.

“I could stop the War…” The Doctor whispered, memories of pain and sorrow fighting to come to the forefront of his mind.

The memories of Astraea and Aludra, the three of them playing and laughing together, running together, alone and with their Companions, them lying dead in polls of their own blood mixed with their hair and skirts.

A small smile graced Brother Lassa’s face as he looked at the pair before him, so close to giving into the temptation.

“Yes.” He breathed softly.

“No.” Sarah Jane said with tears in her eyes, knowing just what the Doctor was desperate for. “The Universe has to move forward. Pain and loss - they define us as much as happiness or love.”

“Whether it's a world, or a relationship… everything has its time. And everything ends.” Siwan added gently, tears in her eyes as she saw the price she would pay if she were to Choose Immortality.

A single tear ran down Seren’s snow-white cheek and silently fell to the ground. The Doctor took a breath and ran around Brother Lassa, grabbing a chair and throwing it into the large screen, smashing it and causing all the screens in the classroom to turn off.

“Out!” he yelled, grabbing Seren’s hand and pulling her out of the classroom.

Siwan paused long enough to grab her scarf and bag before taking Rose’s hand and following suit, Sarah Jane bringing up the rear. As they ran, they heard a loud screech echo through the school. Running down the nearest staircase, Siwan wrapped her scarf around her neck and tightened her grip on the bag, Seren tucking her clutch back in her sling.

They met Mickey and Kenny at the bottom of the staircase, the two coming towards them from the other direction.

“What’s going on?” Mickey asked, skidding to a stop and panting for breath.

They looked down the corridor and saw four Krillitanes in bat form coming towards them.

“Never mind.” Mickey breathed as they ran in the opposite direction, going back the way Mickey and Kenny had come.

They ran into the canteen and hurried across the deserted area to the opposite doors, the Doctor trying to open them only to discover that they were locked. The Doctor reached into his coat to get his screwdriver just as Brother Lassa entered the canteen at a fast walk, behind him entered the bat form Krillitanes.

“Are they my teachers, Mrs Smith?” Kenny asked Seren.

“Yes, sorry dear.” Seren replied, looking at him apologetically.

She removed her sling and tossed it to the side, handing her clutch to the Doctor who tucked it into his coat pocket.

“We need the Doctor and Seren alive. Siwan too if possible.” Brother Lassa said to his brothers. “As for the others, you can feast.”

Seren took her Bo-Staffs out of their holsters from beneath her skirt and held them at the ready, Siwan doing the same. Not a moment too soon because the moment Brother Lassa gave the order, the bat form Krillitanes swooped down towards the small group below.

Seren and Siwan tried beating them off with their Bo-Staffs, the Doctor doing the same with a chair, while the rest screamed and dodged the screeching bats. Seren climbed onto a table and jumped into the air, using her momentum to strike at the closest Krillitane. She hit her mark and the Krillitane fell to the ground with a broken neck as she landed gracefully on her feet. At the same time, a red beam hit another Krillitane, sending him hurtling to the ground as well and landing in a heap.

Seeing two of his brothers fall, Brother Lassa let out a roar of rage.

“K9!” Sarah Jane cheered as the patched-up tin dog made his way to them.

“Suggest you engage running mode, Mistress.” K9 said in his robotic voice.

“Come on!” The Doctor yelled, grabbing Seren’s hand and pulling her towards the doors they had just gone through. Behind them, K9 fired his beam at another Krillitane that fell to the ground. “K9, hold them back!” The Doctor yelled.

“Affirmative, Master.” K9 said, firing another beam. “Maximum Defence Mode!”

“Come on!” The Doctor yelled, ushering the group through the doors and pulling out his screwdriver.

As soon as the last person was through, he sealed the doors locked and began running once again. They ran to the nearest empty classroom – his Physics classroom - and hurried inside, the Doctor sealing the doors behind them.

Sarah Jane, Rose, Mickey and Kenny collapsed into the chairs as the Doctor leaned against his desk while Seren and Siwan perched on the tables.

“It's the oil!” The Doctor exclaimed in realization several minutes later, pushing himself off the desk. “Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil. That's it! They've changed their physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them.” He turned to Rose, asking, “How much was there in the kitchens?”

“Barrels of it.” She replied.

They turned to the door as the Krillitanes began battering at it, several small tears appearing in the wood.

“Okay, we need to get to the kitchens.” The Doctor said, not tearing his gaze away from the door. “Mickey!”

“What now, hold the coats?” Mickey asked sarcastically, irritation pouring off him.

“You and Siwan get all the children unplugged and out of the school.” The Doctor said, turning to look at the two and getting nods of understanding.

“I’ll go with them.” Seren said, looking between her sister and best friend.

The Doctor nodded in understanding and looked back at the doors. “Now then, bats, bats, bats. How do we fight bats?”

Kenney looked at the Time Lord who had also been his physics teacher for the past two weeks and at a fire alarm that was on the wall by the door. Without prompting, the boy elbowed the alarm, setting it ringing through the school.

“Very smart, Kenny!” Seren exclaimed proudly as the Doctor laughed.

The small group snuck out of the classroom and made their escape while the Krillitanes were distracted by the noise. They had just turned the corner, Mickey, Seren and Siwan breaking off from their group and going towards the nearest IT classroom, when the ringing stopped.

“Well, it was a good idea while it lasted.” Siwan said, reaching the classroom.

Mickey ran into the classroom, skidding to a stop just inside the doors and looking around at the students, completely focused on the screens in front of them.

“Okay, listen everyone!” He called loudly. “We've got to get out of here!”

The students didn’t react, nor did they seem to hear him. They remained focused on the screens in front of them, typing at a rapid pace. Siwan went to Melissa and waved her hand in front of the girl’s face.

“No reaction.” She said.

“Same here.” Seren said, looking up from beside a male student.

“They’re completely absorbed by the program.” Mickey said, looking at the teacher’s computer.

Mickey tried to close the program or cancel the code from the computer while Seren tried the same with a spare computer.

“If it won’t turn off from the computers, there has to be a way to manually shut the program.” Siwan said thoughtfully, looking around the classroom.

“Like a computer power cable.” Mickey said ponderingly, catching sight of the protective casing along the wall.

He followed the casing, leading him back to a single wall socket. He crouched down beside it and looked up at the twins.

Siwan looked at the cased cables and followed it in the opposite direction, noting that the wires protruding from the top and attached to the ceiling were connected to the computers.

“They’re connected to the computers.” She said in confirmation, looking at Seren and Mickey.

“Here goes nothing.” Mickey muttered and pulled the plug from the socket.

There was a small shower of sparks as the screens went blank.

“Everyone - get out!” Siwan called to the confused students. “Now!”

The students stood up slowly, still confused and wondering why one of the Physics teachers was telling them to leave in the middle of class. And why the English teacher was in the IT classroom.

“Come on everyone, move!” Seren called loudly. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

The students quickened their pace, urged by the twins and Mickey. They began running down the corridors, heading towards the front doors.

“Outside!” Seren yelled. “Everyone outside, now!”

Siwan pushed the doors open and ran outside, the students following.

“Come on, guys!” Mickey yelled, stopping a few feet away from the doors and ushering the students out. “Let's go, let's go! Run!”

“Come on, run! As fast as you can!” Seren yelled, stopping in the doorway and ushering the stragglers out.

“Towards the lawn! Go towards the lawn!” Siwan yelled, sending the students as far away from the building as possible.

She did a quick headcount as Rose ran up to them, out of breath and panting with her hands on her knees. Mickey and Seren just joined her with the last of the students when the building blew up with a loud KaBOOM!

“That was terrifyingly close.” Siwan muttered in faint relief as she wrapped her arms around Seren.

The students evidently didn’t feel the same as they began cheering at the sight of the explosion, paper raining down on them. Mickey and Rose also cheered happily, though for an entirely different reason. Seren and Siwan laughed at the sight of the cheering students.

“Mrs Smith, the school blew up!” One of the students said excitedly, looking at her.

“I see that Ethan.” Seren said with a smile, looking at the sweet young boy.

Slowly a chant of ‘Kenny! Kenny!’ began echoing around the yard after Melissa announced that Kenny had blown up the school. Ethan looked at Seren and smiled widely before joining his classmates in the chant, cheering for the boy they believed was responsible for the incredible feat. Seren looked behind her and saw the Doctor pull a teary-eyed Sarah Jane into a hug. She sent him a questioning look and he smiled back at her reassuringly.

She smiled back and turned to the cheering students, squealing slightly when she felt a pair of arms around her waist.

“Scared you.” Rose said with a laugh.

“Rose!” Seren exclaimed with a squeal and the blonde picked her up from around the waist and swung her around briefly before putting her back on the ground.

“Seren,” Rose started softly, all traces of fun and amusement fading from her face as she looked down at the older woman. “I’m sorry for what I said last night. It was completely uncalled for.”

“Your words hurt me, Rose.” Seren said softly, looking up at the blonde. Rose looked away, examining the stone pavement beneath her feet. Seren cupped Rose’s cheek and made the blonde look back at her. “I forgive you. Because you’re my god-sister and I love you. My Flower of Love.”

Rose smiled at her and hugged her tightly.

“I love you too.” She said, pulling back and stepping away, joining Mickey who put his arms around her.

“You forgave her.” Siwan commented as she stepped up beside her sister.

“Of course, I did.” Seren replied as they put their arms around each other.

“I guess I can forgive her too, then.” Siwan sighed. “Mind you, I’m not taking back what I said or my warning to her. I meant every word, but if you forgive her then I can too.”

Seren looked at Siwan with a furrowed brow before shaking her head, deciding that she didn’t want to know what the sapphire-eyed woman meant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later, once the students had all been sent home and the parents were made aware of the ‘gas leak resulting in an explosion’, they all returned to the TARDIS. She had relocated from the destroyed school to Belle Vue Park. Sarah Jane, who had made a pit-stop at home to change, walked up to the magnificent blue box. The Doctor, seeing her approach on the monitor, stepped out to greet her.

“Cup of tea?” He asked her with a grin, nodding towards the open door.

She smiled and entered the TARDIS, marvelling at the changes as he stepped in behind her. Rose stood up from where she was sitting on the jump seat next to Mickey.

“You’ve redecorated.” She commented, walking up to the console and looking around at the surroundings.

“Sarah Jane!” Seren exclaimed.

She jumped down from her perch up on a coral pillar and landed gracefully on her bare feet, running up to the older woman and drawing her into a tight hug. Siwan laughed gaily, staying where she was on the coral. She was also barefoot, her heels on the ground beside the pillar.

Sarah Jane laughed at the action but returned the embrace with the same amount of exuberance. They pulled apart and stepped back while the Doctor smiled at them.

“Do you like it?” The Doctor asked Sarah Jane, referring to her comment about the redecoration.

“Oh, I-I do. Yeah.” Sarah Jane replied, letting go of Seren and walking around the console platform, taking in the changes. “I preferred it as it was, but uh… yeah. It'll do!”

Siwan let out a peal of laughter at the brunette’s response.

“I love it.” Rose said with a grin.

They all turned to look at her, sporting grins as well.

“Me, too.” Seren said with a laugh, leaning against the console next to the Doctor.

“Hey, you. What's 47 x 369?” Sarah Jane asked Rose with a grin.

“No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded.” Rose replied shaking her head, a touch of sadness in her voice.

“But you’re still clever.” Sarah Jane said.

“Definitely.” Siwan said, jumping down from the coral and landing on her feet gracefully, making her way to Rose and giving her a side hug before hopping up to sit on the railing that the blonde was leaning against.

“Doctor…” Seren said promptingly, nudging the Doctor and making him look from the controls he was fiddling with.

“Uh, we're about to head off, but… you could come with us.” He said, a grin making its way across his face. The rest looked at her with equal expectant grins on their faces.

“What about Siwan?” Sarah Jane asked, looking at the Welshwoman in question.

“I can’t go just yet.” Siwan replied with a slight shrug. “As much as I would love to, I still have the final preparations for my graduation to complete. They’ve promised to return for the ceremony, so I’m happy with that.”

“I see.” Sarah Jane said softly, nodding and turned back to the expectant group. “I can’t. I can’t do this anymore.” Her words wiped the smiled off their faces as they looked at her in dismay. “Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own.”

The Doctor nodded in understanding, sad that she wouldn’t join them but accepting that she had to make a life of her own.

“Can I come?” Mickey asked, leaning against a pillar. At his question, Sarah Jane, Siwan and Seren turned to look at him in surprise. Mickey, realizing how his question sounded, hurriedly added, “Not with you, I mean…” he turned to the Doctor, “With you.” “’Cause I’m not the tin dog. And I wanna see what’s out there.”

Seren turned and looked at the Doctor, a wide smile on her face at the prospect of having Mickey on board. Siwan was the only one who noticed that Rose didn’t seem particularly happy with the idea. She shot the blonde a warning look, reminding her of their conversation the night before and Rose looked away, her arms crossed.

“Oh, go on, Doctor.” Sarah Jane said encouragingly. “Sarah Jane Smith - a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board.”

“Okay then. Welcome aboard.” The Doctor said with a smile, causing Seren to squeal excitedly and hug him tightly before throwing her arms around Mickey in a tight hug.

“Well, I’d better go.” Sarah Jane said softly, regretfully.

She reached out and hugged Seren tightly before pulling back.

“Find me, if you ever need to one day.” Sarah Jane said quietly to the younger woman. “Find me.”

Seren nodded and watched as Sarah Jane turned and walked out of the TARDIS, the Doctor following behind her. As she watched him walk outside, her mind played back the sorrow that she had seen when Sarah Jane had mentioned Astraea and Aludra, her heart aching for the man she loved. She wondered who they were, knowing that they must have meant a great deal to him, that he must have loved them dearly, if the pain of their loss haunted him the way it did. She wasn’t blind, she knew that he had nightmares, their rooms were right next to one another, and the rare times that he did sleep, she could hear him plagued by nightmares.

“Seren?” Mickey asked, seeing the far-off expression on her face. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She replied, shaking her head and smiling up at him. “Come on, let’s show you your room.”

She took his hand and pulled him out of the console room, towards one of the spare rooms, Siwan and Rose following behind them.

“You’re going to love it.” Siwan said with a smile.

“Siwan isn’t here all the time, but she has her own room as well.” Seren said, proceeding to lead the group to Mickey’s new room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Doctor closed the door behind him and stepped up beside Sarah Jane, his hands in his pockets.

“It's daft,” She said, making him stop and look at her. “But I haven't ever thanked you for that time. And like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.”

“Something to tell the grandkids.” He said with a grin.

“Oh, I think they’ll be someone else’s grandkids now.” She said dryly.

“Right. Yes, sorry.” He said, his smile fading and suddenly feeling awkward. “I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't…? There hasn't been anyone…? You know…?”

“Well… there was this one guy.” Sarah Jane said with a smile. “I travelled with him for a while, but he was a tough act to follow.” She laughed lightly before looking up at him seriously. “Who are Seren and Siwan? Why do they look exactly like Astraea and Aludra, Siwan like an older version of Aludra?”

At her question, the Doctor’s smile faded.

“They were reincarnated.” He said softly. “As sisters. As Chosen Ones of the Mara.”

“But that never happens in the same generation.” Sarah Jane breathed with wide eyes, shocked. “Unless…”

“Even though they were reborn as sisters, their bond is still that of mother and daughter.” The Doctor said softly. “I didn’t realize when I met them in my previous incarnation because they looked slightly different and Seren didn’t have the gold rim or the shimmer. But after the Sycorax were killed and they both passed out from the feedback, their appearances changed, and I knew it was them.”

“Tell them.” Sarah Jane said softly. “Tell Seren and Siwan about them and tell Seren how you feel about her.”

“What if my feelings for Seren are just transference because of my feelings for Astraea?” He asked, nervous and hesitant. “What they both hate me for keeping it from them? I just found them again, I can’t lose them.”

A few tears made their way down his cheeks as he voiced his fears.

“Let Seren decide if she can accept the possibility of being reincarnated.” Sarah Jane advised soothingly. “Let the twins decide if they can handle the knowledge of being reincarnated. But you can’t keep the secrets from them.”

He looked at her hesitantly, unsure about the idea of telling them.

“I don’t know if I can tell them about being reincarnated, but I can at least tell them that they look exactly like two people I loved dearly, my wife and daughter.” He said.

“I guess it’s a start.” Sarah Jane sighed. “But you will have to tell them everything eventually.”

“I know.” He said, letting out a breath.

“Okay.” She said nodding. “Goodbye, Doctor.”

“Oh, it's not goodbye -” He said with a grin.

“Do say it, please.” She pleaded. “This time. Say it.”

“Goodbye.” He said softly, looking into her eyes. “My Sarah Jane.”

He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment before setting her back on her feet. He smiled at her one last time before going back to the TARDIS.

“Doctor.” Sarah Jane called to his back. He turned and looked at her, one hand on the door. “If nothing else, tell her how you feel.”

He laughed and nodded, going inside and shutting the door behind him. He walked up to the console, noting the empty room, and set the controls to take them to the Powel Estate where they would drop Siwan off before continuing their adventures.

_ Links: _

_*Seren outfit -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/369365606924513759/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/369365606924513759/)

_*Siwan outfit -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/207728601538334497/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/207728601538334497/)

_*Seren ‘engagement’ ring worn with the perception filter ring -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/162059286565573016/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/162059286565573016/)

_*Seren outfit while at the school -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/694961786221679106/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/694961786221679106/)

_*Siwan outfit while at the school -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AW1MVSn_S5wHfRPlaTahTQrE_71PXBFclWyFRjgcfU3vViKYOFaAhzI/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AW1MVSn_S5wHfRPlaTahTQrE_71PXBFclWyFRjgcfU3vViKYOFaAhzI/)

 


	5. Interlude: A Tearful Conversation

** Interlude: A Tearful Conversation **

Mickey walked out of the shop on Siwan’s orders, taken aback yet not all that surprised by Rose’s behaviour. Seren and the Doctor may not have noticed it, but the rest of them had – Rose was becoming increasingly attached to the Doctor when everyone but the Time Lord and Seren knew that they were in love with each other. There was also the very clear fact that the two would outlive all of them, except maybe Siwan and Adam.

Despite his lack of surprise at the outburst, he still couldn’t believe what Rose had said. The blonde had always been somewhat self-absorbed and spoilt, but for the blonde to not notice the pain shadowed in Seren’s eyes was beyond imagination. All of them had noticed it, even before the Jones sisters had told them the truth about their lives.

He looked around and saw Seren leaning against Sarah Jane’s car, her right arm curled over her slinged left arm as she looked up at the dark night sky. He quietly walked up to her and leaned back against the car beside her, not saying anything. For several seconds, they were silent.

“Is that what Rose really thinks?” Seren said quietly, breaking the silence that surrounded them. “That it’s _fun_ knowing I won’t change? And what did she mean when she asked what was so special about me? There’s absolutely nothing special about me!”

“She’s always been compared to you.” Mickey said quietly. “To all three of you, but you in particular. And as much as she loves you, she’s hated it.”

“Why is she compared to us?” Seren asked in confusion.

“You gave up your dreams to support yourself and Siwan. And before that, you were at the top of your class as well as being courted by Olympic scouts to be a part of the Olympics Gymnastics team. Siwan, she’s about to graduate an entire year early with a _Doctorate_ as opposed to the Masters’ she had been working towards, as well as having already a Masters in Archival Sciences and Chemistry, having completed the two programs simultaneously while having a full-time job. Rhi, despite getting married relatively young, makes her marriage work and raises her two children, while still maintaining contact and a relationship with all of us in London. Jonny works full-time but always makes sure he has time for his family, his wife and kids as well as us here in London. And even though you and Siwan were able to support yourselves, he still kept money aside for you, even after you both fully proved that you could support yourselves – the account just gathering interest and not being touched except for the monthly deposits with the only change being that the amount going in is slightly less than before. And that’s just what I can list from the top of my head.” Mickey finished, now standing in front of Seren and bending so that he could look into her eyes.

“Wow, our lives have been chaotic these past few years.” Seren muttered, her eyes wide as she listened to what her best friend was saying.

“Yeah.” Mickey sighed, wrapping his arm around her and leaning back against the car once more. “Rose has always been self-absorbed and a little spoiled. And she’s always walked all over you, but no-one ever said or did anything because you never did. You were always so oblivious to it and it never affected you.”

“If the person who was the most affected by the act wasn’t affected, then there was no cause to get involved.” Seren said softly, looking up at the moonlit sky.

“Pretty much.” Mickey said.

“It still hurt.” Seren said softly after a moment of silence. “What she said in the shop, it still hurt. Her implication that I enjoy knowing that I won’t change-”

She broke off as tears streamed down her face, her pain written clearly on her face.

“I know.” Mickey said softly, rubbing her back soothingly.

There was nothing more he could do, only give his best friend what comfort he could and show her that he was there for her, always.

They stayed like that, in silence as Seren slowly stopped sobbing. Even after her tears dried, he kept his arms around her, rubbing her back until Siwan came and joined them by the car.


	6. The Girl in the Fireplace

 

** The Girl in the Fireplace **

The TARDIS came to a grinding, whirring stop as she materialized inside a spaceship.

They had just dropped Siwan off at her and Adam’s home in Hampstead, telling Adam what had happened before promptly leaving – the Immortal needing to spend some time with his beloved  _without_ an audience. Seren was only too happy to accommodate the couple and leave, the last thing she wanted to see was her sister  _reconnecting_  with her boyfriend, thank you very much.

“Where are we?” Mickey asked curiously, looking at the Doctor and Seren.

He was leaning against a coral pillar while Rose was seated on the jump seat a short distance away. The Doctor and Seren were at the console, piloting the TARDIS in easy unison.

“Let’s go and find out.” Seren told Mickey with a bright smile, grabbing her jean jacket and purse, as well as the Doctor’s coat from another Y-beam coral pillar.

She handed the Doctor his coat and put her own jacket on over her own clothes, consisting of a white tank top, royal blue ruffled miniskirt with a darker blue belt around her waist and royal blue 5” peep-toe ankle boots* with a black drawstring bag* hanging from her wrist. She had her hair in a high pony at the back of her head, tied with a matching royal blue ribbon that blended in with her raven blue-black hair.

The Doctor and Seren had removed the wedding bands and the diamond ring that they had worn while they were undercover at Deffrey Vale, Seren switching her perception filter ring back to her right ring finger. Both had done so reluctantly, having enjoyed the brief time they were able to act like a couple and express their feelings to the other, neither aware of the other’s feelings.

The Doctor walked out of the doors with Mickey and Rose following close behind. Seren was the last one out and closed the TARDIS door behind her.

“It’s a spaceship!” Mickey exclaimed excitedly, looking around at their surroundings. “Brilliant, I got a spaceship on my first go.”

They looked around at the dark, empty and disused room, curious yet cautious. There were several bits and pieces of equipment scattered around, on every available surface.

“Looks kind of abandoned.” Rose commented in surprise. “Anybody on board?”

“Nah, nothing here.” The Doctor replied nonchalantly before amending his words, “Well, nothing dangerous. Well, not that dangerous.” Seren crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You know what? I'll just have a quick scan… in case there's anything… dangerous.”

He stepped up to a nearby control panel and began pressing buttons.

“How far have we come?” Seren asked, stepping up next to the Time Lord and watching as he worked the control panel.

“About 3000 years into your future, give or take.” The Doctor replied. He found the light switch and pressed it, bathing the room them in a bright artificial white light. The ceiling above them also opened to reveal the star-studded sky outside. “51st Century.”

“Jack’s time.” Seren said softly to herself.

She wondered how the ex-con-man was doing, if he was travelling through time and space or if he had settled down after rebuilding the human race. She hoped he had found someone who loved him for the amazing person that he was and help him be the good man he had forgotten he was deep inside.

“The Diagmar Cluster.” The Doctor continued, not hearing Seren’s quiet comment. “You're a long way from home, Mickey, Rose! Two and a half galaxies!”

Mickey wandered to a nearby widow, gazing out at the vast expanse open-mouthed, Rose behind him.

“Mickey Smith, meet the universe.” Rose said with a grin, taking in the Londoner’s slack-jawed expression. “See anything you like?”

The Doctor rummaged around the control panel, looking at the pieces of broken equipment and technology with a decidedly unimpressed expression.

“Doctor?” Seren asked softly, drawing the Time Lord’s attention to her.

“Yes, Seren Rhosyn?”

“Do you know anything about Jack? How he’s doing?” Seren asked, biting her lip nervously. “Is he still in 200,100? Or is he travelling?”

The Doctor shifted momentarily, an almost guilty look on his face before his expression cleared and he looked at Seren apologetically.

“I don’t know anything new about him.” He replied, deciding to go with a vague truth: he  _didn’t_  know where, or when, Jack was. A part of him felt guilty about lying to Seren to begin with, telling her that the Captain had been helping to rebuild the human race, but he couldn’t tell her that her own actions had caused the man to become a Fixed Point. Had made him wrong.

“Oh, okay.” Seren said with a sigh, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.

“Dear me, had some cowboys in here.” The Doctor muttered, the unimpressed look once more on his face as he turned back to the controls. “Been a ton of repair work going on.” He casually dropped the equipment he was holding back onto the ground as he caught sight of a screen with the model of the spaceship on it. “Now that's odd. Look at that. All the warp engines are going. Full capacity! There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe, but we're not moving.”

“So, where's all that power going?” Seren asked.

Mickey and Rose wandered back towards them, both curious and cautious.

“And where’d all the crew go?” Rose asked, looking around and noticing the distinct lack of personnel on board.

“Good questions.” The Doctor commented, looking back the panel and checking the readouts. “No life readings on board.”

“Well, we're in deep space. They didn't just nip out for a quick fag.” Rose pointed out sassily.

“Nope, I’ve checked all the smoking pods.” The Doctor said without looking up from the control panel, taking the blonde seriously.

Seren hid a smile behind her hand, shaking her head fondly at the Time Lord. The Doctor paused his fiddling and straightened up, sniffing the air.

“Can you smell that?” He asked the three of them.

“Yeah,” Rose agreed, sniffing the air. “Someone’s cooking.”

“Some kind of meat, I think.” Seren said sniffing and wrinkling her nose delicately at the scent.

“Sunday roast, definitely.” Mickey said, recognizing the scent.

The Doctor pressed a button on the panel and a door opened behind them. They looked at the entrance, pausing for a moment before going into the room. The section of wall on the opposite side of the room was distinctly 18th Century with a blazing fire burning merely in the hearth of an ornate fireplace with an ormolu clock on the mantelpiece.

“Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship.” The Doctor commented in mild surprise. “18th Century. French. Nice mantle.” He pulled out his screwdriver and began scanning the fireplace. “Not a hologram. It's not even a reproduction. This actually is an 18th Century French fireplace. Double sided. There's another room through there.”

The Doctor and Seren crouched in front of the fireplace, the Doctor squatting while Seren knelt on her knees, and saw a young blonde girl staring back at them. Rose looked out through a porthole in the same wall, seeing only the vast expanse of space.

“There can't be. That's the outer hull of the ship. Look.” Rose said in confusion.

“Hello.” Seren said to the young girl kneeling by the hearth on the other side of the fireplace.

“Hello.” The young girl replied hesitantly, clearly wondering what a man and a woman were doing in her fireplace.

“What’s your name?” The Doctor asked with an encouraging smile.

“Reinette.” Reinette replied.

“Reinette, that's a lovely name.” The Doctor said with a gentle smile. “Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?”

“In my bedroom.” Reinette replied, a slight hint of suspicious mixed with amusement in her tone.

“And where’s your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?” Seren asked.

“Paris, of course.” Reinette replied with a smile causing Seren to chuckle lightly.

“Paris, right.” The Doctor repeated with a light chuckle of his own.

“Monsieur, Madame, what are you doing in my fireplace?” Reinette asked, deciding to get to the point.

“Oh, it's just a routine… fire check.” The Doctor replied. His lie earned him a raised eyebrow from Seren which he ignored. “Can you tell me what year it is?”

“Of course, I can! 1727.” Reinette replied with a smile.

“Right, lovely, one of my favorites.” The Doctor said with a grin before adding as an afterthought, “August is rubbish though, stay indoors.” Reinette gave him a look of confusion at the comment as the Time Lord added, “Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Night, night.”

“Goodnight Monsieur, Madame.” Reinette replied with a nod.

The pair stood up and turned to Rose and Mickey, the Doctor had a thoughtful expression on his face as he began piecing together their newest mystery.

“You said this was the 51st Century.” Mickey told the Doctor.

“I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole.” The Doctor reminded the Londoner, gesturing to the fireplace. “Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink.”

“What’s that?” Mickey asked in confusion.

“He has no idea, he just made it up.” Seren said, rolling her large gold-rimmed amethyst orbs. “He didn’t want to say ‘magic door’.”

“And on the other side of the… ‘magic door’ is France in 1727?” Rose asked, incredulous and disbelieving.

“Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too.” Seren said as the Doctor strode to the other side of the room. He removed his coat and tossed it into a corner, taking the jean jacket that Seren tossed at him and putting it on top of his. She kept her drawstring bag with her, leaving it hanging off her wrist.

Seren had always had a fascination with languages, even before she had access to the TARDIS’ Translation Matrix. So, she was able to recognize the dialect that Reinette had spoken in.

“She was speaking English, I heard her.” Mickey said.

“That’s the TARDIS. It translates for ya.” Rose said, draping her arms around Mickey’s neck and shoulders. The Doctor strode back to join Seren by the fireplace and began running his fingers over the ornate structure, inspecting it.

“The Translation Matrix.” Seren said in reminder, standing beside the Doctor and watching as he examined the fireplace.

“Even French?” Mickey asked in surprise, he had known about the Matrix translating alien languages, but he hadn’t realized it translated human languages as well.

“Yep.” Rose chirped.

“Gotcha!” The Doctor cheered, pressing a button on the side of the fireplace.

The section of the wall containing the fireplace and the hearth began to rotate, taking Seren and the Doctor with it. Seren gave a quiet gasp of alarm at the sudden movement and grabbed the Doctor’s arm to keep from falling.

“Doctor! Seren!” Rose cried in alarm.

Once the fireplace stopped turning, Seren let go of the Doctor’s arm and smacked him lightly in the shoulder.

“Ow.” He said with a mock whine, pouting at her.

Seren rolled her eyes and stepped away from the fireplace, looked around the room and taking in their new surroundings. The bedroom was dark and shadowed, snow falling gently outside. The sound of a clock ticking echoed through the room. Reinette was fast asleep in her bed, unaware of her visitors.

The Doctor went to the window and looked out at the Paris skyline, Seren joining him seconds later.

“It’s beautiful.” Seren said quietly, looking at the gently falling snow.

A horse whinnied outside, pulling a carriage down the street. Behind them, Reinette woke with a startled gasp and sat up in her bed, her eyes immediately drawn to the pair by the window. The two turned around at the sound of Reinette’s gasp, seeing the girl look at them with uncertainty, unable to see their features clearly.

“It’s okay! Don’t scream! It’s us, it’s the fireplace man and woman. Look.” The Doctor said reassuringly as he went to Reinette’s bedside table and lit a candle with his screwdriver. “We were talking, just a moment ago. We were in your fireplace.”

“Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months!” Reinette exclaimed.

“Really?” Seren asked, her and the Doctor exchanging surprised looks.

“Must be a loose connection.” The Doctor commented. He and Seren went back to the fireplace and the Time Lord knocked gently on it, listening to the resulting sound. “Need to get a man in.”

“Who are you? And what are you doing here?” Reinette asked, a hit of fear on her voice.

The Doctor didn’t reply as his attention became drawn to the broken clock on the mantle. His expression became almost fearful as the ticking echoed through the room.

“Okay, that’s scary…” He muttered softly.

“What is it?” Seren asked in concern, not liking the alarm on his face.

“You’re scared of a broken clock?” Reinette asked the Doctor sceptically.

“Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit.” The Doctor replied. “Because, you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room…” he glanced around the room to double check and found that it was the only clock in the room. “Then what's that?” He paused and the three of them listened to the ticking that echoed in the room. Reinette, realizing that something was wrong, looked scared once more. The Doctor continued speak, his voice quiet and slow. “Because you see, that’s not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say… size of a man.”

“What is it?” Reinette asked fearfully.

Seren looked behind the curtains and, seeing nothing, looked at the Doctor and shook her head.

“Now, let's think.” The Doctor said, his tone becoming more rapid the more he spoke. “If you were a thing that ticked and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do, break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two?” He paused and looked at Reinette, seated on her bed. He moved slowly towards the bed, his voice becoming quiet once more. “You might start to wonder if you're really alone. Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge.” Reinette nodded fearfully and the Doctor looked at Seren who was about to move towards the bed herself, adding, “Stay by the curtains.”

Seren stayed where she was and watched the Doctor. He crouched in front of the bed and peered beneath it, using his sonic screwdriver to perform a scan. For a few seconds, there was a tense silence as the Doctor performed the scan.

Suddenly, something smacked the screwdriver out of the Doctor’s hand, knocking him backwards.

Seren gasped in alarm but didn’t move from her spot by the curtains, Reinette flinching in fear. The little girl was trembling slightly, her eyes wide and her breath coming out in short pants as she stayed frozen in the middle of her bed.

The Doctor scrambled back onto his hands and knees to look beneath the bed once more, wanting to see what had struck out at him. Seren’s gaze on the other hand was on the large figure dressed in typical 18th Century clothing with a similar mask on its face. She opened her mouth to give a quiet warning to the Doctor, though she needn’t have bothered as the Time Lord was already looking over the bed.

“Reinette… don’t look around.” The Doctor whispered, the blonde girl’s gaze on him and unaware of what was behind her. She stared at him with wide fearful eyes, her trembling becoming more noticeable but obeying the order. The Doctor got to his feet and said in a normal voice, “You stay exactly where you are.” For a moment, he looked between the masked figure and the blonde girl on the bed before frowning. “Hold still, let me look.” He crouched in front of Reinette and put his hands on either side of the girl’s head, looking deep into her eyes.

“What is it?” Seren asked in concern.

“They’ve been scanning her brain!” He replied in shock. He pause d for a moment before turning to the masked figure behind Reinette.

“What, they’ve crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child’s brain?” Seren asked incredulously.

“What could there be in a little girl’s mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?” The Doctor asked the masked figure in horror.

“I don’t understand.” Reinette said in terror, looking at the Doctor with equal terror in her eyes. “It wants me?” She turned and looked at the figure, not even flinching at the almost creepy sight. “You want me?”

The figure’s head twitched to one side and looked at Reinette.

“Not yet. You are incomplete.” The figure replied in a distinctly mechanical voice.

“‘Incomplete’? What's that mean, ‘incomplete’?” The Doctor asked incredulously, only to receive no reply from the figure. The figure instead continued to stare at Reinette. “You can answer her, you can answer me.” The Doctor said in a firm and irritated voice as he stood up and pointed his screwdriver warningly at the masked figure. ”What do you mean, ‘incomplete’?”

Once again, the figure didn’t reply. Instead, it walked around the bed in distinctly mechanical movements, an arm extended. A menacing blade shot out of its’ arm, coming to a stop inches away from the Doctor’s face. Seren let out a quiet gasp of alarm while the Doctor didn’t even flinch.

“Monsieur, be careful!” Reinette cried in frightened concern.

“Just a nightmare, Reinette, don’t worry about it. Everyone has nightmares.” The Doctor said calmly, backing away from the bed. The figure swiped the blade at the Doctor and he jumped back to avoid it. “Even monsters have nightmares, don’t you, monster?”

The figure swiped at the Doctor again and he dodged the blade, causing it to get stuck in the ornate mantle.

“What do monsters have nightmares about?” Reinette questioned as the figure struggled to remove the blade from its trap.

“Us, ha!” The Doctor said, causing Reinette to smile.

The Doctor beckoned Seren back to the fireplace and once she was standing next to him, he used the opportunity to turn the fireplace around again, taking them back to the 51st Century.

“Doctor! Seren!” Rose cried in alarm as the fireplace slid back into place, standing back with Mickey beside her.

The Doctor ran to a nearby rack and grabbed a long tube that resembled a gun and fired its contents over the masked figure. The effects of the contents caused the struggling figure to seize up, though the Doctor kept spraying for a few more seconds just to be sure.

“Excellent. Ice gun.” Mickey said with a grin.

“Fire extinguisher.” The Doctor corrected, tossing the futuristic fire extinguisher to Rose, who caught it with a mild grunt.

“Where did that thing come from?” Rose asked, adjusting her grip on the fire extinguisher so she was holding it properly.

“Here.” The Doctor replied.

“So why is it dressed like that?” Mickey asked, gesturing the 18th Century clothing.

“Field trip to France.” Seren replied. “It most likely is some kind of basic camouflage protocol.” She peered at the clothing closely, impressed by the detail that went into the clothing. “Nice needlework.”

“Yeah. Shame about the face, though.” The Doctor added in agreement, stepping towards the figure and removing the face mask and wig revealing an ornate clockwork mechanism covered by an egg-shaped clear plastic. “Oh, you are beautiful.” The Doctor breathed, near giddy with excitement. He pulled out his glasses and put them on, peering at the clockwork mechanism closely. “No, really, you are. You're gorgeous! Look at that. Space age clockwork, I love it. I've got chills! Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart, and, by the way, count those,” He gestured to his chest, to both of his hearts. “It would be a crime, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you.” His tone became serious, raising his screwdriver saying, “But that won't stop me.” The android creaked, coming back to life and beamed away. “Short range teleport.”

“It can't have gotten far.” Seren said thoughtfully, the Doctor putting his screwdriver back in his pocket. “It could still be on board.”

“Don’t go looking for it!” The Doctor ordered Rose and Mickey while grabbing Seren’s hand and pulling her back to the fireplace.

“Where’re you two going?” Rose asked.

“Be back in a sec.” The Doctor replied, pressing the mechanism on the fireplace and turning them around back to Reinette’s bedroom in the 18th Century. “Reinette? Just checking you’re okay.”

The two of them walked away from the fireplace and looked around the brightly lit room, bathed in a warm golden glow, coming from the shining sun outside. It was a plush and luxurious room, themed with reds and golds, mahogany and marble.

Seren looked out of the widow and down at the street below while the Doctor stopped at the harp and idly brushed a hand across the strings, playing a few notes as a beautiful blonde-haired woman entered the room. She paused and stared at them, watching as the Doctor absently played with the harp strings and Seren gazed out of the window.

“Ahem.” The blonde woman cleared her throat, getting the time-travelling pair’s attention.

They spun around and looked at her, somewhat sheepish expressions on their faces at being caught in a young girl’s room.

“Oh! Hello!” The Doctor said with a smile, removing his glasses and putting them away. “Um. We were just looking for Reinette. This is still her room, isn't it? We’ve been away, not sure how long.”

“Reinette! We’re ready to go!” An older woman called from outside the room.

“Go to the carriage, Mother. I will join you there.” The woman, Reinette, called back over her shoulder before looking at the Doctor and Seren. The Doctor had a completely shocked expression on his face, the look causing Reinette to grin and Seren to giggle. “It is customary, I think, to have imaginary friends only during one's childhood. You two are to be congratulated on your persistence.”

“Hello, Reinette.” Seren said, giving the woman a gentle smile that was returned whole-heartedly. The Doctor still looked at them with shock. “You’ve grown so much seen we last saw one another.”

“And you do not appear to have aged a single day.” Reinette replied, stepping towards them while looking Seren over and taking in the unaged appearance and the strange clothing that revealed almost all of her legs and her arms while hugging her hourglass figure. “That is tremendously impolite of you.”

“Right, yes, sorry... Um, um…” The Doctor stammered finding his voice and blinking owlishly at Reinette, Seren giggling quietly at his expression. “Listen, lovely to catch up, but uh… better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man and woman, do we?”

“Strange?” Reinette repeated quietly. “How could you be strangers to me? I have known you both since I was seven years old.”

“Yeah . . . I suppose you have.” The Doctor agreed, giving a small laugh. “We came the quick route.”

Reinette reached up and touched the Doctor’s cheek, freezing the man in place as she ran her thumb over his smooth skin, examining him. Seren’s eyes widened slightly at the almost intimate touch, the Doctor gazing at Reinette.

“Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd.” Reinette said ponderingly, lowering her hand and placing it gently on his chest. “Reasons tells me you cannot be real.”

“Oh, pfft ... You never want to listen to reason.” The Doctor said shaking his head, not tearing his gaze away from the beautiful blonde.

“Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient.” A servant called from outside the room.

“A moment!” Reinette called back, annoyance at the interruption clear in her voice. She looked back to the Doctor, gazing at him with bright blue eyes. “So many questions. So little time.”

Reinette grabbed him by the lapels of his suit jacket and kissed him passionately on the lips. Reinette pushed the Doctor back against the fireplace, not breaking their kiss. Seren’s eyes widened in shock and she turned away from the sight, instead looking out of the window, her large eyes swimming with hurt and pain.

“Mademoiselle Poisson!” The servant called again from outside the room.

At the second call, Reinette broke the kiss with the Doctor and ran out of the room, pausing at the vanity to grab her purse. Seren walked to the fireplace, standing on the other side of the mantle. The Doctor looked at Seren, his eyes wide and guilt shooting through his hearts at the sight of the hurt swimming in her large gold-rimmed amethyst orbs.

“Seren -” He started softly, wanting to explain but not knowing what to say.

“It’s not every day you get to snog Madame de Pompadour.” Seren said, her mask in place to hide her heart-wrenching pain.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before sighing, recognizing the mask that fell into place on the radiant Welshwoman’s face. He reached for the trigger and pressed it, spinning the fireplace around and taking them back to the 51st Century.

“Rose?” He called out, the two of them stepping away from the fireplace.

“Mickey?” Seren called out loudly.

“Every time!” The Doctor sighed exasperatedly, striding out of the room with Seren right behind him. “Every time! It's rule one - don't wander off. I tell them, I do! Rule one! There could be anything on this ship!”

Seren giggled at the rant, unable to remain upset at the Mad Man when seeing his exasperated ranting. The two of them turned a corner and stopped abruptly, staring in bewilderment.

“Including a pair of horses.” Seren said, cocking her head to the side and looking at the two beautiful white horses, a male and female, that stood in front of them.

Both horses were pure white, though the mare had a diamond patch between her eyes, saddled and bridled. One whinnied and stepped towards them, the Doctor and Seren exchanging bewildered looks. Seren shrugged and the two turned around, walking down another corridor. Behind them, the two horses followed.

“Maybe if we ignore them, they’ll go away.” The Doctor said quietly, looking back over his shoulder at the horses.

“I think they’re lonely.” Seren said with a shrug, glancing back at the horses as well.

The Doctor made a face at her in response and she giggled lightly.

“Rose?” He called out in a childlike manner, walking down another corridor. They stopped in front of a pair of white French double doors and the Doctor turned to the horses that had stopped as well. “Will you two stop? We’re not your parents!”

The mare nudged Seren lightly with the tip of her nose, causing her to giggle at the sensation. The Doctor stepped towards the doors, opening them and letting bright sunlight filter in.

“Is this where you came from?” Seren asked quietly.

Seren and the Doctor stepped through the doors and entered the beautiful gardens of Versailles. The Doctor walked forward with a smile, Seren beside him.

“Oh, Katherine, you are too wicked.” Reinette said to her friend, Katherine, with a laugh.

Reinette looked behind her curiously, the Doctor and Seren ducking behind a stone pillar holding a stone urn just before the Parisian blonde could see them. When Reinette turned back around, the time-traveling pair stood up and leaned against the pillar watching the two women.

“Oh, speaking of wicked, I hear Madame de Chateauroux is ill and close to death.” Katherine said in an almost grave tone.

“Yes. I am devastated.” Reinette replied, her tone serious for a single second before she burst into peals of giggles.

“Oh, indeed. I myself am frequently inconsolable.” Katherine said, giggling as well. “The King will therefore be requiring a new mistress. You love the King, of course?”

“He is the King, and I love him with all my heart. And I look forward to meeting him.” Reinette replied almost wistfully.

A peacock called in the distance and Reinette turned around. The Doctor and Seren ducked again before the blonde could see them.

“Is something wrong, my dear?” Katherine asked in concern.

“Not wrong, no.” Reinette replied slowly, turning back and resuming her stroll with her friend.

“Every woman in Paris knows your ambitions.” Katherine said as the Doctor and Seren peeked out from behind the pillar.

“Every woman in Paris shares them.” Reinette said bluntly.

“You know of course that the King is to attend the Yew Tree ball?” Katherine asked as they walked further away.

“As am I.” Reinette informed her friend, their voices fading completely as they moved out of sight.

“Come on.” Seren said with a sigh, looking at the Doctor and straightening up. “We’ve still got to find Mickey and Rose.”

The Doctor nodded in agreement and they walked back through the French doors and into the 51st Century. They walked through the corridors searching for the pair, the horses once again following them. They found Rose and Mickey in front of one of the portals, this one a large window with mirrors instead of clear glass, staring into a drawing room at the Palace of Versailles.

“Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?” Mickey asked, nodding to an extravagantly dressed man in the room.

“The King of France.” The Doctor said, he and Seren walking up behind them and looking into the window as well.

“Oh, here's trouble.” Rose said with a smile, looking at the Doctor and Seren. “What you been up to?”

“Oh, this and that.” The Doctor replied with a shrug, he and Seren watching the King standing in front of the mirror. “Became the imaginary friends of a future French aristocrat... picked a fight with a clockwork man...”

The two horses neighed, the sound echoing from around the corner.

“And we met a pair of horses.” Seren added with a laughed as the horse trotted into view.

“What’s a pair of horses doing on a spaceship?” Mickey asked in confusion.

“Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective!” The Doctor snapped in annoyance, looking back at the portal. “See these?” He pointed to the portal. “They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history…” He placed a finger on the glass as Reinette entered the room, dressed extravagantly and looking stunning. She curtsied elegantly to the King. “Hers. Time windows... deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the 51st Century stalking a woman from the 18th! Why?”

“Who is she?” Rose asked.

“Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived.” Seren replied.

“So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?” Rose asked curiously, coming to the most logical conclusion she could.

“No, he’s already got a Queen.” Seren said, shaking her head and watching Reinette and the King. “She’s got plans on being his mistress.”

“Oh, I get it.” Rose said with a grin. “Camilla!”

She and Mickey laughed while Seren giggled lightly.

“I think this is the night they met.” The Doctor said thoughtfully. “The night of the Yew Tree Ball. In no time at flat, she’ll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace.”

“She's even got her own title.” Seren added. The King left the room and Reinette walked up to the mirror, looking at herself and preening. “Madame de Pompadour.”

“Queen must have loved her.” Rose said sarcastically.

“Oh, absolutely.” Seren said with a nod, completely serious. “They were good friends.”

“The King’s wife and the King’s girlfriend?” Mickey asked skeptically.

“France. It’s a different planet.” The Doctor said with a shrug.

Seren frowned, beginning to hear the tell-tale ticking sound. She looked towards the clock on the mantelpiece and her eyes widened when she noticed it was broken.

“Doctor.” Seren whispered in warning, pointing to the clock.

The Doctor grabbed the fire extinguisher from Mickey and pushed the mirror around, sending the four of them into 18th Century France.

“Hello, Reinette. Hasn’t time flown?” The Doctor asked Reinette.

“Fireplace Man!” She exclaimed as the Doctor stepped passed her.

The Doctor sprayed the android with the fire extinguisher until it became completely immobile. He tossed the fire extinguisher back to Mickey who caught it a quiet grunt while the android began to click and whir loudly.

“What’s it doing?” Mickey asked, gripping the extinguisher tightly.

“Switching back on. Melting the ice.” The Doctor replied, stepping towards the android and not looking away from it.

“And then what?” Mickey asked hesitantly.

“Then it kills everyone in the room.” The Doctor replied, the android’s arm shooting out towards the Time Lord’s throat. He jumped back, managing to avoid the blow. “Focuses the mind, doesn’t it?” He commented quietly to Seren before raising his voice and saying to the android, “Who are you? Identify yourself!”

The android cocked its head but didn’t respond.

“Order it to answer.” Seren told Reinette softly.

“Why should it listen to me?” Reinette asked, looking at Seren in confusion.

“It did when you were a child.” Seren reminded her. “Let’s see if you’ve still got it.”

Reinette nodded and looked at the android.

“Answer his question.” Reinette ordered the android firmly, almost all traces of her fright gone. “Answer any and all questions put to you.”

“I am Repair Droid 7.” The android said mechanically, lowering its arm.

“What happened to the ship, then?” The Doctor questioned. “That was a lot of damage.”

“Ion storm. 82% systems failure.” The android responded.

“That ship hasn’t moved in over a year.” The Doctor incredulously. “What’s taken you so long?”

“We did not have the parts.” The android replied.

“Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts.” Mickey said with a laugh.

“What’s happened to the crew? Where are they?” Seren asked, a bad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

“We did not have the parts.” The android repeated.

Seren’s eyes widened in horrified dawning realization, her face taking on a decidedly green tinge.

“There should have been over 50 people on your ship.” The Doctor said. “Where did they go?”

“We did not have the parts.” The android repeated.

“50 people don’t just disappear! Where —?” The Doctor cut himself off, realization dawning on him. “Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew.”

“The crew?!” Mickey repeated, sounding sick at the thought and all traces of his previous humour gone.

“We found a camera with an eye in it.” Rose informed Seren and the Doctor quietly, a horrified expression on her face. “And there was a heart… wired into the machinery.”

“It was just what it was programmed to… repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No-one told it the crew weren't on the menu.” The Doctor explained. “What did you say the flight deck smelt of?”

“Someone cooking.” Rose said quietly.

“Flesh plus heat. Barbeque.” The Doctor said while Reinette looked sick, a green tinge to her face.

“But what are you doing here?” Seren asked in confusion. “You’ve opened up time windows, that takes colossal energy. Why come here when you could have gone to your repair yard? Instead you come to 18th Century France. Why?”

“One more part is required.” The android replied.

The android jerked its head to look at Reinette in explanation. The four time-travellers looked at her and she looked back, confused and scared.

“Then why haven't you taken it?” The Doctor asked while Seren reached out and put her arm around the scared Parisian woman.

“She is incomplete.” The android replied.

“What? So, that’s the plan then? Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she’s ‘done yet’?” The Doctor asked incredulously.

“Why her?" Rose asked, the Doctor turning to look at her in surprise at the question, Rose glanced at the Doctor before turning back to the android and elaborating. “You’ve got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?”

“We are the same.” The android replied.

“We are not the same, we are in no sense the same!” Reinette exclaimed angrily.

“We are the same.” The android repeated.

“Get out of here! Get out of here this instance!” Reinette ordered angrily.

“Reinette, no!” The Doctor exclaimed as the android activated its teleport with jerky movements and beamed away. “It’s back on the ship!” The Doctor ran towards the mirror door and pushed it open. "Rose, take Mickey, Abbey and Arthur, get after it. Follow it, don’t approach it, just watch what it does.”

“Arthur? Abbey?” Seren asked, looking at the Doctor in confusion.

“Good names for horses.” The Doctor replied.

“You’re not keeping the horses!” Seren said exasperatedly, knowing  _she_  would be the one cleaning up and looking after them.

“I let you keep Mickey and Rose!” The Doctor argued before turning to Rose and Mickey, his tone becoming urgent. “Now go, go, go!” The two ran through the open mirror door and the Doctor closed it behind them before turning to Reinette. “Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for. There's only one way I can do that. It won't hurt a bit.”

When Reinette nodded her consent, the Doctor put his hands on either side of the blonde’s face, his fingers at her temples. He closed his eyes as he instigated a mind meld, connecting their minds.

“Fireplace Man!” Reinette exclaimed in amazement. “You are inside my mind.”

“Oh dear, Reinette. You’ve had some cowboys in here!” The Doctor commented, his eyes closed as he looked through her mind.

Seren began looking around the room, gazing at the beautiful artwork that lined the walls and trying to preoccupy herself from the almost intimate sight of the man she loved melding with another woman.

“You are in my memories. You walk among them.” Reinette whispered.

“If there’s anything you don’t want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I won’t look.” The Doctor said, the promise clear in his voice. “Ooh, actually there’s a door just there. You might want to clo-oh. Actually, several.”

“To walk among the memories of another living soul. Do you ever get used to this?” Reinette asked.

“I don’t make a habit of it.” The Doctor replied.

“How can you resist?” Reinette asked.

“What age are you?” The Doctor asked, ignoring the blonde’s question.

“So impertinent a question so early in the conversation. How promising.” Reinette said with a grin.

“No, not my question - theirs.” The Doctor explained. “You’re 23 and for some reason, that means you’re not old enough.” Reinette flinched suddenly. “Sorry, you might find old memories reawakening. Side effect.”

Seren, who had looked at the pair when the Doctor brought up Reinette’s age, tuned them out and walked out of the room. She explored the hallway, looking up at the beautiful artwork in awe. She had always loved art, especially from past eras, and seeing the work of the French pre-Revolutionary era in person, not yet having faced the passing of time, was a sight to behold. She knew that many of the pieces she was seeing were probably lost by her time. She pulled out her amethyst purple Samsung Galaxy S9 mobile and opened the camera app, discretely snapping several photos of the beautiful paintings and tapestries.

“Seren.” Reinette called from behind the beautiful Welshwoman.

Seren spun around to look at her, tucking her mobile back into her purse before Reinette could see it. She frowned, realizing what the blonde had called her.

“How did you know my name?” Seren asked, Reinette had only called her ‘Madame’.

“The Doctor thinks ever so highly of you.” Reinette said with a knowing smile. “He is the only one whom you allow the privilege of calling you ‘Seren Rhosyn’. His Welsh Star.” Seren blushed and looked away, unsure of how to respond. “You love him.”

“With all my heart.” Seren whispered, looking back at Reinette and staring up into the taller woman’s blue eyes.

“Come with me.” Reinette said with a smile, taking Seren’s hand and leading her out of the room.

“Where are we going?” Seren asked, grateful that there didn’t seem to be any other people around. Seren wasn’t very keen on having to explain her mini skirt and tank top to the French aristocratic society.

“To my room. You cannot attend the ball dressed in that.” Reinette replied, glancing at Seren’s clothes. “I am going to get you dressed to dance.”

“Attend the Yew Tree Ball?” Seren hissed in surprise, looking up at the blonde with wide eyes.

“With the Doctor.” Reinette said, nodding and pulling the Welshwoman into her room. “He awaits you in the ball room as the King awaits me.”

Reinette went to her wardrobe and began looking through it, searching for a dress that would best suit the radiant Welshwoman. Within minutes, she pulled out a beautiful purple dress with silver accents and proceeded to lace up Seren’s corset.

“Not too tight, please.” Seren gasped as Reinette pulled the strings. “I’d like to still be able to appreciate breathing.”

Reinette laughed and kept the corset slightly loose at Seren’s request, realizing that the Welshwoman probably wasn’t used to corsets the way she, herself, was. She helped Seren into the dress before tying her hair back into an elegant bun and giving her the matching jewelry to wear.

“You look absolutely beautiful.” Reinette breathed, stepping back and looking Seren over.

“Thank you.” Seren said earnestly, glancing at the blonde before looking at herself in the mirror.

Seren was dressed in an amethyst purple dress with silver accents, a square neckline and sleeves that flared at the elbows* with a white pearl and amethyst necklace and earring set inlaid in silver*. Her hair was pulled back in an elegant bun, two small diamond flowers embedded in the middle*, with a few curled tendrils left loose to frame her face. Seren kept her own high heels on as they would be covered by the dress, her 21st Century clothes discretely hidden in a corner of the blonde’s room. Her drawstring bag was hanging from her wrist, the black bag contrasting beautifully with her dress.

“Come, your Time Lord awaits.” Reinette said with a grin. “You can get your clothes afterwards.”

Seren grinned back and took Reinette’s hand, the two women making their way to the ballroom with Reinette leading the way. They entered the ball room and Reinette pointed to a far corner where the Doctor was leaning against the wall. Seren bit her lip, suddenly nervous and uncertain.

“Go.” Reinette said encouragingly, pushing Seren lightly in the Doctor’s direction. “Dance with him.”

Seren nodded and walked towards the Doctor, a small smile on her face.

“Doctor?” Seren called softly, causing him to turn and look at her.

“Seren Rhosyn.” He said equally softly, his eyes running over her body, taking in the way she was done up. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

“Dance with me?” Seren asked, holding her hand out to the Time Lord with a rosy blush on her delicate cheeks.

The Doctor smiled brightly at her and took the offered hand, guiding her onto the dance floor. He led her around the floor, the pair never tearing their gazes from each other nor losing their gentle smiles.

They danced for several hours, occasionally switching partners before returning to one another, never realizing the passage of time that passed them by.

“We should be getting back.” Seren said regretfully, looking at one of the ornate clocks as they passed it.

“Yeah, we should.” The Doctor agreed.

He twirled her around once more before stopping, holding her close in the middle of the dance floor, both gazing into the other’s eyes. His eyes flickered down to her lips before coming back up to her large orbs.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” He whispered.

He pressed his lips against Seren’s in a sweet kiss and she melted against him, their eyes fluttering closed. Seren savoured the feel of his lips against hers, imprinting this moment in her memory to hold on to forever. They pulled apart when air became a necessity, looking at each other. The Doctor had a silly grin on his face and Seren’s cheeks were completely red, giving her a radiant glow.

“Oh, come on, you.” Seren said with a small smile and pulling him towards Reinette.

“You’re leaving?” Reinette asked Seren after excusing herself from the conversation she was having with a few ladies.

“Yeah, there’s no telling what Rose and Mickey could’ve gotten up to while we’ve been here.” The Doctor said with a nod.

Reinette smile in understanding and hugged Seren tightly before letting go. She turned and walked away to re-join the ladies she had been speaking to while Seren and the Doctor left the ball room, the Time Lord pausing long enough to grab a goblet from the buffet table. They went to Reinette’s room so Seren could grab her clothes before going into the room that held their time window. They stepped through the mirror and returned to the 51st Century.

“I hope they haven’t gotten into trouble.” Seren said worriedly when she didn’t see Rose or Mickey on the other side of the time window.

“Come on.” The Doctor said exasperatedly, taking Seren’s hand.

The two walked up and down the corridors looking for the two wayward humans, Seren holding her skirt up with one hand with the other being held by the Doctor. They both paused when they heard Rose’s voice in the distance, tinged with fear.

“That sounds like Rose.” Seren whispered, looking up at the Time Lord in fear.

He nodded in agreement and Seren held the goblet while he took off his tie and put it around his head before pulling out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on as well. He took the goblet from her, filled it with a maroon liquid that resembled wine before beginning to stumble around as though he was drunk. He deliberately made himself stumble into some nearby equipment, resulting in a loud crash and bang.

Seren smiled at him bemusedly as he slung his arm around her shoulders, essentially using her as a support for his ‘drunken’ form, while they headed towards Rose and Mickey.

“‘I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night…’” He sang loudly and very off-key. Seren had to bite back her giggles, struggling to keep a straight face while she supported the staggering Time Lord who swayed them around the equipment, the androids and the two humans who were strapped to slanted tables opposite from the TARDIS. “‘And still have begged for more. I could've spread my wings and done a thou-’.” He cut off his off-key singing and let go of Seren, staggering backwards. “Have you met the French? My  _God_ , they know how to party.”

“Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm!” Rose stated sarcastically while Mickey looked at the Doctor and Seren bemused.

“Oh, you sound just like your mother.” The Doctor retorted distastefully, leaning back against a nearby console.

Seren dropped her clothes on a panel by the TARDIS and bit back a laugh. With the amount of times Rose had come home drunk, it was no wonder that the blonde had managed to sound just like Jackie when the older woman was in full rant-mode.

“What've you been doing? Where've you been?” Rose asked crossly, looking between her god sister and the Time Lord, taking in the extravagant way Seren was dressed in Reinette’s clothes.

“Well, among other things, I  _think_ I just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early.” The Doctor replied causing Rose to lay back on the table with an exasperated sigh. He turned to Seren, who had come to stand next to him by the console. “Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before? Always take a banana to a party, Seren. Bananas are  _good_!” Seren nodded, an almost serious look on her face as she listened to his advice. He spotted the androids out of the corner of his eye and stumbled towards them, the goblet still held tightly in his hand. “Oh ho, ho, ho, ho, brilliant! It's you! You're my favorite, you are! You are the best! Do you know why? Because you're so thick! You're Mister Thick, Thick Thicketty, Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania.” He moved to turn away from the androids before looking back and adding as an after-thought, “And so's your dad! Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?” He asked as he strolled away from the androids. He looked back at Rose and Mickey, sniggering. “Her milometer. They want to know how old she is. Know why? 'Cos this ship is 37 years old, and they think that when Reinette is 37, when she's ‘complete’, then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it, hmm?” He stared mockingly at the androids. “The command circuit for your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do.”

“The brain is compatible.” An android, standing by Rose with a blade at her neck, said.

“Compatible?” The Doctor repeated incredulously, approaching the android. “If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine.” The Doctor removed the android's mask and wig, pouring the contents of the goblet into its head. The clockwork seized up and the Doctor put the masked wig back on its head. “Multi-grain anti-oil. ‘If it moves, it doesn't’.” He explained in a completely sober tone, putting the goblet down.

An android in the corner of the room began to advance towards them and Seren pulled a lever on the console she was leaning against, deactivating them.

“Right, you two, that's enough lying about.” The Doctor said, using his screwdriver to free Rose and Mikey from their restraints. “Time we got the rest of the ship turned off.”

“Are those things safe?” Mickey asked, eyeing the frozen androids.

“Yep. Safe.” The Doctor replied removing the sunglasses and putting his tie on properly. “Safe and thick, way I like them. Okay. All the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down. Zeus plugs.” He rummaged through his pockets. “Where are my Zeus plugs? I had them a minute ago. I was using them as castanets.”

“Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was 37?” Rose asked curiously.

“With the amount of damage to these circuits, they're lucky they managed to hit the right century.” Seren explained as the Doctor fiddled with the controls. “It's trial and error after that.”

“The windows aren't closing.” The Doctor said with a frown. “Why won't they close?”

A bell rang, the sound echoing in the small room.

“What’s that?” Rose asked looking around.

“I don’t know.” The Doctor admitted.

“Incoming message?” Seren suggested.

“From who?” Mickey asked.

“Report from the field. One of them must still be out there with Reinette. That's why I can't close the windows. There's an override.” The Doctor said in worried realization, fiddling with the controls and trying to close the time windows.

Behind them, the first android reactivated with a whir, straightening up with a snap. The four time travelers whipped around to look at it, Rose biting back a gasp. They watched in dismay as it expelled the anti-oil out through its finger and onto the floor as well as the Doctor’s shoe.

“Well, that was a bit clever.” The Doctor muttered. All around them, the other androids reactivated and straightened up.

“There are so many ways that this is not good.” Seren muttered, stepping in front of Rose protectively as the younger blonde clutched her arm.

“Message from one of your little friends?” The Doctor asked the androids when the bell echoed through the room again. “Anything interesting?”

“She is complete. It begins.” An android replied mechanically before teleporting off the ship, followed by the other androids.

“What’s happening?” Rose asked, clinging to Seren’s arm.

“One of them must have found the right time window.” Seren said.

“And now it’s time to send in the troops.” The Doctor added with a nod. “And this time they’re bringing back her head.”

“Rose, find a time window to Reinette and let her know what’s happening.” Seren said, looking at Rose who nodded in understanding. “Warn her that they’re coming and that we’re trying to find a way to stop them.”

“Tell her that she has to try and keep them talking, try to stall them until we can get there.” The Doctor added, fiddling with the console.

Rose nodded and hurried off while Seren helped the Doctor try and find out which window led to when Reinette was 37. Once they found it, a mirror looking into a massive ballroom filled with extravagantly dressed aristocrats, the Doctor connected an audio link between the two time periods.

“Mickey, get Rose please.” Seren told Mickey, who nodded and ran off to get the blonde. Seren straightened up from her crouch with a groan, rubbing her back. “Damn, these 18th Century clothes are a nightmare.” She muttered to herself.

“You look fantastic.” The Doctor said, glancing at her with a wide grin and earning an exasperated look from the Welshwoman before he turned back to the console, working frantically. “Got it!”

The two of them looked at the mirror as screams echoed through from the 18th Century, ringing in their ears.

“Are you there? Can you hear me?” They heard Reinette ask pleading though they could not hear her. “I need you now. You promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time.” The Doctor continued working frantically as the French aristocrat’s voice echoed through the room. “Doctor! Seren!”

Seren watched through the mirror as the androids, still in their camouflages, herded the screaming partiers to the sides of the ballroom.

“You found it then?” Rose asked as she and Mickey ran into the room.

“They knew we were coming. They blocked it off.” The Doctor growled frustrated, using his sonic screwdriver on the console.

“I don’t get it. How come they got in there?” Rose asked, moving to stand next to Seren and look through the time window into the ballroom.

“They teleported, you saw them.” The Doctor said, his words coming out rushed as he worked frantically to save their friend. “As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short range teleports will do the trick.”

“Well, we’ll go in the TARDIS!” Rose said, looking at the Time Lord.

“We can’t.” Seren said shaking her head. “We’re a part of events now.”

“Well, can’t we just smash through it?” Mickey asked.

“Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck.” The Doctor refuted, not looking up from his frantic movements.

“We don’t have a truck.” Mickey pointed out.

“I know we don’t have a truck!” The Doctor snapped.

“Well, we've got to try something!” Rose exclaimed helplessly.

Seren caught sight of movement in the corridor and a thoughtful frown crossed her face, an idea forming in her mind.

“No. Smash the glass, smash the time window. There'd be no way back.” The Doctor said, picking up a piece of equipment and using the screwdriver on it.

Seren quietly walked out into the corridor, stopping in front of Arthur and Abbey.

“Ready to go home?” She asked them softly, patting Abbey’s nose.

The mare neighed in response, nudging the woman’s arm lightly. Seren took her reins and mounted Abbey expertly, adjusting her skirts once she was seated on the saddle. She took Arthur’s reigns and held them tightly in one hand, nudging Abbey forward with her heels. She held the reigns of both horses tightly and urged them forward, entering the room with the Time Window to see the gaping expressions on the Doctor, Rose and Mickey's faces.

“Who needs a truck when you’ve got horses?” Seren asked the Doctor with a grin, adjusting her drawstring bag around her wrist so it didn't interfere with the reigns.

“There’ll be no way back.” Rose reminded Seren with wide eyes, realizing what the Welshwoman intended to do.

“I’m immortal, Rose.” Seren reminded the blonde with a gentle smile. “If I have to take the long way back because I chose to save my friend, I can live with that.”

The Doctor walked up to Arthur and mounted him, holding the reigns tightly.

“I’m not letting you go on your own.” He said firmly.

The two moved back before galloping side-by-side towards the mirror and leaping through, smashing it and sending the pieces everywhere. The guests screamed in alarm and moved back frantically, shielding themselves from the spray of glass while Reinette’s jaw dropped open in shock at the sight of Seren and the Doctor riding the horses.

Seren and the Doctor both winked at her as they trotted passed by and stopped in front of the androids, dismounting their magnificent steeds.

“Madame de Pompadour.” The Doctor greeted the kneeling French aristocrat with a grin, Seren moving to stand next to him. “You look younger every day.”

Reinette smiled in response, rolling her eyes slightly at the mild flirting. She knew he didn’t mean anything by it, his hearts firmly belonging to Seren – even if she didn’t know it.

“What the hell is going on?” The King asked, looking between the new arrivals and his mistress.

"Oh, this is my lover, the King of France," Reinette introduced, nodding to the King.

“Yeah?” The Doctor said with a mild scoff, eyeing the King. “Well, I'm the Lord of Time.” Seren rolled her eyes and hit him lightly on the arm in response to his comment. “We’re here to fix the clock.”

The two of them walked up to the android that held its blade to Reinette’s neck and Seren removed the mask, revealing the clockwork beneath. The crowd's stunned gasps echoed throughout the ballroom. The android turned its blade to the Doctor, holding it at his neck.

“Forget it. It’s over.” The Doctor said, eyeing the android.

“For you and for us.” Seren added, glancing up where the mirror had hung, revealing the brick wall it had hung on. "Talk about seven years’ bad luck. Try 3,000..."

The android turned its head and looked at the wall as well. It turned back to Seren and the Doctor before trying to activate its teleport, trying repeatedly to no avail.

"The link with the ship is broken.” Seren told it in an almost gentle tone. “There’s no way back.”

“You don't have the parts.” The Doctor added almost mockingly. “How many ticks left in that clockwork heart? A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. We’re not winding you up."

A moment later, the clockwork android wound down, deactivating permanently with the rest following suit and slumping over. One, dressed in male clothing, fell backward when it deactivated, smashing against the marble floor and earning gasps of shock from some of the ladies nearby.

“You all right?” The Doctor asked Reinette, holding his hand out to her.

Reinette nodded and took his hand, letting him help her to her feet. “What’s happened to them?” She asked, looking at the deactivated androids that had haunted her since she was a child.

“They’ve stopped.” Seren replied with a delicate shrug, standing on Reinette’s other side and looking at the androids. “They have no purpose now.”

The three of them stood in the middle of the ballroom as servants came in and cleared away the mess and the deactivated androids, the horses taken away to be returned to the stables. The Doctor and Seren watched as the party resumed, moving to the side while Reinette was drawn away by the King.

The Doctor took a goblet of wine from a passing waiter and took a sip, Seren declining the offered drink with a shake of her head. The two walked out of the ballroom arm-in-arm, strolling through the corridors in silence and ended up in the parlor room where they had witnessed Reinette’s first meeting with the King.

“Do you regret the decision you made?” Seren asked the Doctor quietly, letting go of his arm and stepping away from him. She kept her back to him, instead looking at a tapestry that hung on one of the walls. “Do you regret coming through the Time Window?”

“Seren Rhosyn, I would never regret it.” The Doctor said firmly, putting his goblet down on a nearby table. “Ever.”

He stepped towards her and gently turned her around, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle yet firm hug. She sighed and tucked her head under his chin, savoring the strength of the deceptively strong arms that held her.

“We will find our way back to Rose and Mickey, it’ll just take the long route.” The Doctor said quietly, reassuringly, to her.

She nodded in response and sighed, she firmly believed they will find a way. They always found a way. They pulled apart slightly a few minutes later, his arms still around her while they looked out the window and at the dark night sky, at the stars that glittered against the midnight expanse.

Reinette, who had watched them from the doorway for the past few minutes, came up behind them with a goblet of wine of her own and stopped on Seren’s other side. The blonde aristocrat followed their gazes and looked out at the stars.

“You know all their names, don't you, Doctor?” Reinette asked ponderingly. “I saw that in your mind. The name of every star.” She looked at Seren and smiled. “And you know almost as many, Seren.”

“What’s in a name?” The Doctor asked in response with a heavy sigh, picking up his goblet and taking a sip. He still had one arm around Seren, holding her – the hold giving her comfort as well as him, giving him something to hold on to. “Names are just titles.”

“Titles don’t tell you anything.” Seren added, giving the blonde a wry grin.

"Like 'The Doctor’?” Reinette quipped with a grin of her own.

"Like, 'Madame de Pompadour’." The Doctor quipped back, a grin crossing his face as well.

The three laughed lightly, enjoying the easy friendship they shared.

"I have often wished to see those stars a little closer.” Reinette said wistfully looking out at the stars, her laughter fading. “Just as the both of you have, I think."

“From time to time.” The Doctor said in vague agreement.

“In saving me, you trapped yourselves.” Reinette commented, remembering what she had heard in the ballroom when they were talking to the androids and just recently when she was watching the pair from the doorway of the parlor room. “Did you know that would happen?”

“Yeah, we did.” Seren replied softly, nodding and fiddling with her drawstring bag hanging from her wrist.

“Yet, you both still came.” Reinette said. “Just as you promised.”

“Yeah, we did, didn’t we?” The Doctor said with a grin. “Catch me doing that again.” He muttered, his grin fading as he looked up at the stars. Seren sighed and rested her head on his chest, looking up at the stars as well.

"There were many doors between my world and yours. Can you not use one of the others?" Reinette asked concernedly, a part of her feeling guilty for being the reason the two amazing angels in front of her became trapped.

"When the mirror broke, the shock will have severed all the links with the ship.” Seren explained regretfully, shaking her head.

“There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid.” The Doctor informed Reinette, equally regretful considering how beautiful the pre-Revolutionary artwork was. “Wherever there was a time window. I'll-I'll, er...pay for any damage…" Reinette and Seren laughed lightly as something dawned on him, "Um...oh, that's a thought, I'm gonna need money. I was always a bit vague about money. Where do you get money?"

“So here you both are, my angels, stuck on the slow path with me.” Reinette commented.

“Yep, the slow path.” Seren agreed with a nod. “I think we’ll have fun together. Best friends.”

Seren smiled at the blonde, her best friend from a time period different than her own. A woman who had been dead for centuries by the time Seren was born.

“Here’s to the slow path.” The Doctor said, raising his goblet in a toast that he and Reinette shared, Seren not joining in since she didn’t drink alcohol.

"It's a pity...I think I would've enjoyed the slow path." Reinette said softly, lowering her goblet.

“Well, we’re not going anywhere.” The Doctor reminded her, Seren nodding in agreement.

“Oh, aren’t you?” Reinette asked the two of them coyly, setting her goblet down. “Take my hands.”

She held her hands out to the two of them. They took her hands and she led them out of the parlor and down the hall, into another room – her bedroom where a very familiar fireplace was set against the wall, a fireplace that had not been there the last time Seren had been in the room.

“It’s not a copy.” Reinette informed the pair as they looked at it in amazement. “It's the original. I had it moved here and was exact in every detail."

"The fireplace..." The Doctor breathed, the three of them walking towards it slowly, "The fireplace from your bedroom.”

“When did you do this?” Seren asked, glancing at the smiling blonde aristocrat. “It wasn’t here the night of the Yew Tree Ball.”

“Many years ago, after I moved to Versailles.” Reinette replied. “In the hope that a door once opened, may someday be opened again. One never quite knows when one needs one's Doctor and Star.” Seren, Reinette and the Doctor smiled at each other and the blonde looked back at the fireplace. “It appears undamaged, do you think it will still work?"

"You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it.” The Doctor said. “Which means it was offline when the mirror broke. That's what saved it. But..." he moved closer, examining it, "The link is basically physical, and it's still physically here." He bent down and tapped the woodwork, Seren and Reinette stepping back and watching him. “Which might just mean, if I'm lucky...if I'm very, very, very, very, very, very lucky..." A wide grin crossed his face when he found what he was looking for. “Aha!”

“What?” Reinette and Seren asked in unison, the blonde with a shadow of sadness in her eyes while the Welshwoman had hope in hers

“Loose connection!” The Doctor exclaimed, pulling out his screwdriver and using it on the mantle. “Need to get a man in!”

He stepped into place beside the fireplace and held his hand out to Seren. She looked at Reinette and hugged her tightly, conveying her gratitude in her actions.

“Thank you, Reinette.” Seren said softly, letting go of the blonde and taking the Doctor’s hand, stepping up beside him. “Goodbye.”

The Doctor grinned at Reinette and pressed the mechanism that would turn the fireplace around, the grin fading when he saw the sad expression on the blonde’s face. They spun around and returned to the 51st Century. They quickly stepped away from the fireplace and crouched down in front of the hearth, both thinking the same thing.

 “Reinette!” Seren called through the flames. Reinette crouched down on the other side of the flames, her attire indicating it was still the same day. “Do you still want to see those stars?”

"More than anything." Reinette admitted, nodding.

"Give us two minutes.” The Doctor said. “Pack a bag!"

“Am I going somewhere?” Reinette asked confused.

"Go to the window, pick a star, any star!" The Doctor ordered lightly.

He and Seren ran off to find Rose and Mickey, Seren holding fistfuls of her skirt up, while Reinette ran to her window. The Doctor and Seren quickly found Rose and Mickey in the control room by the TARDIS, Mickey holding a distraught and shaking Rose in his arms.

“Who died?” Seren asked, taking in the despondent states of her god-sister and best friend.

“Seren!” Rose and Mickey cried in unison, whirling around to look at the Time Lord and the Welshwoman.

Both humans wrapped their arms around Seren, hugging her tightly in relief. Rose separated from Seren and hugged the Doctor.

“How long did you wait?” The Doctor asked, pulling away from Rose.

“5 ½ hours!” Rose exclaimed.

"Great, always wait 5 ½ hours.” The Doctor said seriously with a nod, turning to Mickey and giving him a brief tight hug while Seren and Rose hugged once more.

“Where’ve you two been?” Rose demanded to know, pulling away from Seren and looking at her and the Doctor.

“I’ll explain later.” Seren said, spinning around and picking up her 21st Century clothes, handing them to Rose. “Right now, take these and get inside the TARDIS.”

“We’ll be back in a sec.” The Doctor added at the confused looks on the two humans’ faces. He turned and ran back to the room with the fireplace, Seren right behind him. “Reinette?” He called through the flames, bending in front of the fireplace with Seren next to him. “You there, Reinette?”

They both straightened up and exchanged looks, worry etched across their faces. The Doctor stepped up beside the fireplace and Seren stood next to him. He triggered the fireplace and spun them around into 18th Century France, into Reinette’s bedroom in Versailles.

The room was completely dark, the candles all extinguished with only the moon and the fireplace providing any kind of light.

“Reinette?” Seren called, her and the Doctor walking out of the bedroom and down the corridor. It was so different from the last time they had been there – it was now dark just like Reinette’s bedroom, with no one around with only a few candles lit.

“Reinette?” The Doctor called, looking around the darkened corridor. “Oh, hello.” He said, catching sight of the King standing by the window, gazing out forlornly.

“You just missed her. She’ll be in Paris by 6.” The King said sadly, turning to look at them. He was older then the last time they had saw him, his hair completely grey and longer, held back in a low ponytail.

“Ah.” The Doctor sighed in understanding.

“Good Lord… she was right.” The King gasped, stepping towards Seren and the Doctor, peering at them closely. “She said you never looked a day older…" The Doctor raised his eyebrows in question while Seren cocked her head to the side. "So many years since I saw you both last, yet not a day of it on your faces." He sighed and turned to a desk, puling open a drawer and taking out two sealed letters. "She spoke of you both many times." The Doctor and Seren’s smiles faded, realization dawning on their faces. “Often wished you'd visit again. You know how women are.” He handed the letters to the two time travelers who took them with shaking hands, each taking the one addressed to them. The King glanced out the window, the sounds of a whip thrashing and horses trotting reaching their ears inside the palace. "There she goes." He breathed, watching as a hearse carried Reinette's coffin away from the palace in the rain, "Leaving Versailles for the last time. Only 43 when she died."

Seren and the Doctor slowly walked up behind the King and stood beside him, watching sadly as the procession made its way through the gates of the palace. Their eyes filled with pain at the loss of another friend, the Doctor putting his arm around Seren and holding her tightly. Seren buried her face in his chest, a few tears escaping her eyes and soaking the Doctor’s suit.

"Too young...too young.” The King said despondently. “Illness took her in the end. She always did work too hard." His eyes were filled with tears as he looked at the Doctor and Seren, glancing down at the letters that were clutched in their hands. "What does she say?"

Without a word and without looking away from the window, the Doctor took Seren’s letter with his free hand and tucked it, as well as his own, into his jacket pocket.

“Of course.” The King said, nodding in understanding. “Quite right.”

For a few minutes, the three of them stayed by the window. They watched until the procession was completely out of sight before the Doctor gently guided Seren back to Reinette’s bedroom and to the fireplace, the last Time Window between the two time periods. They returned to the 51st Century and only then did the Doctor let Seren out of his arms, though they stayed within a few feet of each other. With a final glance at the fireplace, went inside the TARDIS.

Closing the door wearily behind them, the two slowly walked up to the console. The Doctor’s long coat and Seren’s jean jacket were hanging over a Y-beam while Seren’s skirt and tank top were on the jump seat.

"Why her?" Rose asked curiously from where she and Mickey were standing around the console. "Why did they think they could fix the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"

“We’ll probably never know.” The Doctor sighed, setting the controls to let them drift in the Time Vortex. “There was massive damage in the computer memory base. Probably got confused. The TARDIS can close down the Time Windows now the droids are gone." He reached out for a knob. "Should stop it causing any more trouble."

“You all right?” Rose asked in concern, seeing the sadness on the Doctor and Seren’s faces.

“I’m always all right.” The Doctor said with a grin, looking at the blonde for a moment before going back to fiddling with the controls.

Seren shot Mickey a look and he nodded in understanding, reaching out and tugging Rose’s arm.

“Come on, Rose. Show me the rest of this place.” Mickey said quietly.

Rose hesitated for a moment, looking at the Doctor before letting Mickey lead her out of the console room. Seren tugged on the Doctor’s arm, pulling him away from the console and drawing him into a hug. For a moment, he was still, then he wrapped his arms around her small waist and held tightly, pressing his nose into her hair.

“Everything will be okay, so long as we stick together.” She said softly, pulling back slightly so that she could look up into his warm brown eyes. “Always together.”

“Always by each other.” He continued softly.

“Always and forever.” They finished in unison, smiles crossing their faces.

Seren reached up and kissed his cheek softly before taking her letter from him. She turned and left the console room, going to her room to read the letter in private. Putting the letter on the bed, she quickly removed her shoes and changed out of her corseted dress, into a simple purple tank top and patterned trouser pajama set*. She released her hair from its elaborate bun before laying on the bed, her hair cascading around her body in a curtain of dark silk curls and breaking the seal on the parchment.

_“My Dear Seren,_

_I fear that we won’t be seeing one another again. You and the Doctor have been on my mind and in my heart for as long as I can remember, and I would not change what happened for the world. You gave me such wonderful, fond memories and I will never forget you. As much as I wished we could take the slow path together, you, the Doctor and myself, I fear that it would have broken you if you were to witness my death in person. For this reason, I sent you and the Doctor back home for I could not do that to you, to the beautiful Welsh Star whom I have come to love and think of as my dearest sister and friend. Take care of the Doctor, tell him of your love for him and never let him go. He loves you Seren, he loves you and needs you just as much as you love and need him. Don’t forget me._

_Godspeed, my dearest sister,_

_Your Reinette.”_

“I will never forget you, Madame de Pompadour.” Seren whispered, tears in her eyes as she looked at the corseted dress that lay draped over her vanity chair. “Never, my sister.”

_ Links: _

_*Seren outfit (royal blue skirt and shoes, darker blue belt) -_

_<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477101556/> _

_*Seren purse -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479277675/> _

_*Seren dress lent to her by Reinette for the Yew Tree Ball (amethyst purple with silver accents) -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/47217496077947583/>_

_*Seren jewellery lent to her by Reinette for the Yew Tree Ball (white pearl and amethyst inlaid in silver) -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/264868021811223416/>_

_*Seren hairstyle done by Reinette (a few curled tendrils framing her face) –_

_<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479632007/> _

_*Seren pyjama set -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475944212/> _


	7. Rise of the Cybermen

** Rise of the Cybermen **

Seren hummed quietly to herself as she walked out of her en-suite bathroom wrapped in a towel while using another to dry her long hair, steam billowing out behind her. She had just finished taking a long, hot shower following her daily workout – or as daily as possible when one travels in a time machine. She made her way to the walk-in closet and quickly got changed into a fresh pair of clothes, emerging a few minutes later dressed in light brown top, dark blue dark wash jeans, light brown patterned pumps with the matching light brown purse* hanging off her elbow. She had a pair of small gold hoop earrings in her ears, a few gold bangles on her left wrist and her perception filter ring on her right ring finger. She sat at her vanity and brushed her long raven blue-black hair, tying it back behind her head with two thin crown braids, one beneath the other*, with a few strands curled and framing her face gently while the rest tumbled down to her thighs in luscious waterfall curls beginning at mid-back.

Once she was dressed, she grabbed the book she was reading, ‘War and Peace’ by Leo Tolstoy, and walked out of her room, closing the door behind her. She walked down the winding, maze-like corridors of the TARDIS while reading her book, her purse swinging gently from her elbow. She headed towards the console room, knowing that would most likely be where the Doctor, Rose and Mickey would be, probably debating on where they wanted to go for their next adventure. At the moment, they were drifting aimlessly through the Vortex until either someone came up with a destination they had in mind or Idris took matters into her own hands and took them someplace that they needed to be.

Seren was a few feet outside the console room and could hear laughter echoing out from the room, when the TARDIS violently shook, sending the preoccupied woman flying into the wall. She dropped her book as she hit the wall hard with her side, her head hitting the wall as well from the force of the impact. An alarm rang loudly in warning through the ship.

“Idris, what happened?” Seren asked in confusion, speaking loudly to be heard over the sound of the alarm and trying to pull herself up to her feet while the TARDIS shook violently.

There was no response from the sentient ship nor was there the ever-constant singing at the back of her mind, frightening Seren more than the violent shuddering did – Idris always responded to Seren, always sang at the back of Seren’s mind no matter what. The only times she had been silent was when Rose had inadvertently summoned the Reapers after saving her father, Pete, in 1987 and when the Doctor regenerated following their departure from the Game Station in 200,100.

“Idris?” Seren asked frightened, looking up at the ceiling in worried fear.

Not getting a response, she picked up her book and slowly made her way to the console room where the others were, using the wall for support against the violent shaking of the ship. Every part of Seren was hurting, her side and head hurt from the impact against the wall, her chest ached and felt empty as though a vital part was missing.

She entered the console room to see the Doctor frantically working at the console, trying to operate it and pilot them through the intense shaking. Mickey was pulling himself up by holding onto a panel at the console while Rose was holding tightly to the back of the jump seat she had been sitting on, trying not to scream.

“What’s going on?” Seren asked frantically, using the coral pillars for support against the violent shaking while making her way to the console. “What happened to Idris? Why isn’t she responding?”

“The Time Vortex, it’s gone!” The Doctor cried in alarm. “That’s impossible! It’s just gone!”

Mickey struggled to stay on his feet, keeping a tight hold of the console as the shaking became increasingly more violent than before.

“Brace yourselves! We’re gonna crash!” The Doctor shouted in warning.

He grabbed the console and held tightly while Seren did the same next to him. Mickey gripped the console tightly across from them and Rose held tightly to the back of the jump seat she had been sitting on.

Just as the Doctor had predicted, they crashed violently and were all thrown onto the ground when the shaking stopped. Gas masks fell from the ceiling and the lights of the TARDIS all went out, pitching them into complete and utter darkness.

“Everyone all right?” Seren asked, slowly getting to her feet with a wince. “Rose? Mickey? Doctor?”

“I’m fine. I’m okay.” Mickey said with a groan, getting to his feet. “Sorry, yeah.”

“I’m okay.” Rose called, using the jump seat to stand up.

“She’s dead.” The Doctor whispered in quiet horror, his eyes wide as he looked at the Time Rotor. It was smoking, and the ship was completely silent. “The TARDIS is dead.”

“Oh,  _Duw_.” Seren breathed with tears in her eyes, knowing what the TARDIS meant to the Doctor.

“You can fix it?” Rose asked, moving towards the Time Lord and Seren.

“There's nothing to fix. She's perished.” The Doctor said quietly, running his fingers over the controls on one of the panels, pulling a lever back and forth fruitlessly. “The last TARDIS in the Universe, extinct.”

Seren covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes prickling with tears at the sorrow and pain in the Doctor’s voice. She took his hand and held it comfortingly while he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close to him.

“Seren’s got the Vortex inside her, maybe she can do something.” Mickey suggested, moving to stand by them.

The Doctor shook his head sadly.

“The Vortex is gone from her as well.” He said regretfully. “It’s why she isn't shimmering anymore.”

Seren had realized that the disappearance of the Vortex was the reason behind the emptiness in her chest, the piece of the Vortex that she had kept after becoming Bad Wolf was gone as well. However, that didn’t lessen the pain of it being confirmed, a few tears escaped her long lashes and fell down her snow-white cheeks.

“We can get help, yeah?” Rose asked hopefully, though the panic was clear on her face.

“Where from?” Seren asked, separating from the Doctor and looking up at the taller girl helplessly. The Doctor looked at Rose as well, a similar helpless expression on his face as well.

“Well we’ve landed, we’ve got to be somewhere.” Rose said, trying to hold onto whatever hope she could and fight the rising panic at Seren’s helpless expression. Seren and Siwan almost never panicked, they were always calm and collected when the world was going to hell around them – probably  _because_ the world was going to hell around them.

“We fell out of the Vortex. Through the Void, into nothingness.” The Doctor told her. “We're in some sort of no-place. The Silent Realm. The Lost Dimension.”

Behind them, Mickey walked towards the door and opened it. He poked his head out for a moment before looking back at the trio standing by the console.

“Otherwise known as London.” Mickey said with a grin. He laughed and stepped out of the TARDIS, the rest quickly following him and finding themselves at Lambeth Pier. They had landed on a grassy patch surrounded by a low wall. “London, England, Earth. Hold on…” Mickey jumped off the low wall and picked up a discarded newspaper, holding it up and looking at it. “First of February, this year. Not exactly far flung, is it?”

Rose jumped off the wall and looked at the paper over Mickey’s shoulder. Seren looked around with a frown, feeling as though something was off about where they had landed. If they had landed on Earth, then why was her connection to the Mara feeling so dim? Like it used to be when she first began travelling with the Doctor, before she had absorbed the Time Vortex? Why was her connection to her family, the strands of light that connected her to her loved ones, so dim? If anything, the connections were  _dimmer_ than they should be, as if they were in the wrong place. And the strand of light that connected her to Rose seemed almost non-existent, as if the blonde girl didn’t exist.

Seren looked up at the sky and her eyes widened in shock, her mouth dropping open slightly. Her expression caught the Doctor’s eyes and he followed her gaze, looking up at the sky as well.

“So, this is London?” The Doctor asked Mickey, his voice slightly high-pitched.

“Yup.” Mickey replied, not looking away from the paper.

“Your city?” The Doctor continued, jumping down from the wall.

“That’s the one.” Mickey replied with a nod.

“Just as we left it?” The Doctor asked while holding a hand out to Seren. She took the offered hand and jumped off the wall as well, standing next to him with their fingers interlocked.

“Bang on.” Mickey said.

“And that includes the zeppelins?” Seren asked, looking up at the sky. “Because I don’t remember zeppelins being in the sky when we left.”

Rose and Mickey looked at them with wide eyes before turning and looking up at the sky.

“What the hell?!” Mickey breathed, his jaw dropping at the sight of massive airships flying over their heads.

“That’s beautiful.” Rose breathed in amazement.

“Okay, so it's London with a big International Zeppelin Festival.” Mickey said with a shrug.

“A Zeppelin festival?” Seren repeated incredulously, looking at Mickey with a raised eyebrow.

“This is not your world.” The Doctor said quietly, causing Rose and Mickey to look at him in confusion while Seren’s eyes widened in realization.

“But if the date’s the same…” Mickey started before confusion gave way to dawning realization, his eyes widening. “It's parallel, right? Am I right? Like a parallel Earth where they've got Zeppelins. Am I right? I'm right, aren't I?”

“It would explain why the connection is so dim.” Seren mused quietly. At the questioning looks she received from Mickey, the Doctor and Rose, she elaborated, “The connection I have with the Mara and with everyone I love. They’re not  _gone_ exactly, just extremely dim as though they are connected to someone else as well. Probably the parallel versions of myself and Siwan.”

“Must be.” The Doctor said with a nod, responding to Seren and Mickey’s speculations.

“So, a parallel world where…” Rose said, trailing off when she caught sight of something a few feet away.

“Oh, come on!” Mickey exclaimed, becoming excited. “You've seen it on films. Like an alternative to our world where everything's the same but a little bit different, like… I dunno… traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected.”

“And he’s still alive.” Rose added faintly, looking at what had caught her gaze.

The Doctor, Seren and Mickey followed Rose’s gaze to a poster in front of them. Seren gasped in shock, her hand coming up to cover her mouth and her eyes wide. There, in front of them, was an advert for Vitex Lite, cherry flavor, starring Pete Tyler. Rose’s father and Seren’s godfather, a man who had died in 1987 in a car accident.

“A parallel world where Dad's still alive.” Rose breathed faintly, stepping towards the advert.

Seren reached out and grabbed Rose’s shoulder with her free hand, stopping the blonde from getting closer to the advert sign.

“No, Rose. Don’t look at it.” Seren said sternly. She let go of the Doctor’s hand and stepped towards Rose, moving to stand in front of the younger woman. “This isn’t our world, and this is not our Uncle Pete.”

“Seren, that’s my dad, your godfather.” Rose breathed in amazement, stepping around Seren and reaching out, touching the advert.

“Trust me on this.” The advert said in an utterly lifelike replica of Pete Tyler’s voice. The picture of Pete winked cheekily and gave a ‘thumbs up’.

At the cheeky wink and ‘thumbs up’, Seren had to hold back her own gasp at how similar it was to  _her_ Pete Tyler, the one who had died when she was a child.

“No, Rose. That’s not your dad, that is not my godfather.” Seren said in a pained voice, tearing her gaze away from the poster and looking at Rose.

“He’s a success, Seren!” Rose exclaimed with a tearful smile. As always, she didn’t see the pain that was etched across Seren’s face, so absorbed in her own thoughts and feelings. “He was always planning these daft little schemes, health-food drinks and stuff. Everyone said they were useless. But he did it!"

“Rose, listen to me, right now.” Seren said firmly. She grasped Rose’s shoulders and forcibly made the blonde look at her straight in the eyes, Seren’s heels reducing the height difference somewhat. Rose tried to glance back at the poster. “Stop looking at it!” Rose reluctantly tore her gaze away from the poster and looked at Seren. “Uncle Pete is dead. Our Pete Tyler is dead. He died when you were 6 months old and I was 5 years old, on November 7, 1987. We  _saw_  it happen, remember? We sat with him as he died. This Pete here, he isn’t our Pete. He’s  _a_  Pete. For all we know, he’s got his own Jackie, his own Tyler/ Jones girls. His own Tyler/ Jones girls who aren’t us.” Rose tried to look back at the poster but Seren shook her shoulders firmly, keeping the blonde from looking away from her. “You can’t see him, not ever.”

A few tears escaped Rose’s eyes as she gave a tiny nod. Seren let go of her and, with a pained glance at the poster, rushed back to the TARDIS, loosing the battle against her tears as they streamed down her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A sleek black Luxury Lexus with the license plate ‘PETE1’ raced up the driveway of a small white-toned mansion, two Luxury Sports Acura’s, one a sleek silver with the license plate ‘STAR1’ while the other a metallic dark blue with the license plate ‘ADERYN1’, behind it. All three cars came to a stop at almost the same time in front of the main doors of the mansion and their occupants emerged – Pete Tyler from the black Lexus with a beautiful bouquet of white flowers in his hand, Dr. Seren Smith, nee Jones, from the silver Acura and Dr. Siwan Jones, soon-to-be Pierson, from the blue Acura.

“Almost had it, twins.” Pete said with a bright grin, looking at his beautiful twin god-daughters.

He was dressed in a sharp designer 2-piece dark suit with a white shirt and a patterned dark blue/ light blue tie, with his Ear Pods (small, silver Bluetooth-like devices) in each ear.

“One of these days, Uncle Pete.” Seren said with a laugh. “We will beat you.”

The amethyst eyed Welshwoman was wearing white top-black bottom pencil dress, 5” high heeled black and white pumps and a diamond and pearl jewelry set, with the black clutch purse* in her hand. On her left ring finger were a pair of yellow gold wedding rings, a pure white solitaire princess cut diamond set in a plain band and a slim wedding band encrusted with small diamonds all around it*. Her thigh length raven blue-black hair was swept up in a sleek ‘tuck and wrap’ bun* at the back of her head, a few strands left loose to frame her gently face. Like Pete, she had Ear Pods each of her ears.

“Just you wait.” Siwan added with a laugh of her own. “You will eat our dust.”

The sapphire eyed Welshwoman was wearing a smart pant suit consisting of a red sleeveless cowl neck blouse beneath a black blazer, black trousers, 5” high heeled black peep-toe pumps, ruby and gold earring studs in her ears and a red hand bag* hanging off her elbow. She had her thigh-length raven blue-black hair swept back in a French twist*, a few strands coming loose and framing her face beautifully. On her left ring finger was a timeless and beautiful white gold engagement ring, a princess cut diamond in the middle with a round blue sapphire on either side followed by a round white diamond*. Like her twin and godfather, she had her Ear Pods in each of her ears.

“We’ll see about that, Little Bird, Little Star.” Pete said chuckling. “Adam still at the hospital?”

“Yeah, he’s in the middle of a surgery but he’ll come home as soon as he’s done.” Siwan replied as the three of them walked up to the front doors.

“As long as he’s here before the party starts or Aunt Jackie will have his hide.” Seren said dryly.

“He knows.” Siwan said reassuringly with a grin on her face, a matching grin on Seren and Pete’s faces. Pete hid the bouquet behind his back and opened the front door.

“Hello? Sweetheart?” Pete called when they entered the mansion, closing the door behind him. “Only me. And the twins.”

“Oh, the bad penny.” Jackie Tyler said, descending the stairs in a black silk dressing gown and scowling at her husband, barely glancing at the twins behind him. “Was this your idea? Don't deny it. It's got your fingerprints all over it. ‘Trust me on this’.” Jackie said the businessman’s trademark line with a mocking sneer. “Oh, I can trust you all right. Trust you to cock it up.”

“What have I done now?” Pete asked cluelessly, the bouquet still behind his back.

“Aunt Jackie, I’m sure that whatever it is, it can be fixed.” Siwan said soothingly.

“Have a look and see if it can be fixed.” Jackie said scowling, leading the trio to an adjoining drawing room.

The four of them stopped in the middle of the room and Jackie pointed to a massive banner that hung between two pure white Corinthian pillars – 'Happy 40th Birthday'. There was another banner hanging just below it – 'Congratulations Adam and Siwan'. Around them, servants bustled about in a mad rush to get everything ready for the dual party meant to start in a few short hours.

Instead of only having a birthday party for Jackie, it was also an engagement party for Dr. Adam Pierson and Siwan. When Jackie had heard of Adam’s proposal to Siwan, she insisted on having the engagement party at the same time as her birthday party, much to the surprise of her family. Jackie Tyler was not one to willingly share the spotlight with anyone. At the Tyler matriarch's insistence, a surprised Adam and Siwan agreed to have their engagement party at the same time, if only to avoid having to go through the nightmare of planning another party for a few weeks later.

Seeing the birthday banner, Seren and Siwan winced, realizing what had their godmother so furious.

“What’s wrong with that?” Pete asked, not understanding his wife’s fury.

“40!” Jackie exclaimed. “It says 40!”

“You  _are_ 40.” Pete said, still confused.

“Well, I don’t want the whole world telling, do I?” Jackie hissed.

“You’re having a party tonight.” Pete reminded her.

“My 39th!” Jackie snapped.

“Uncle Pete, Aunt Jackie’s official biography says that she was born on the same day as Cuba Gooding Junior, and that makes her 39.” Seren explained gently.

“Exactly!” Jackie snapped in irritation. She stalked out of the drawing room, calling out, “Rose!”

Pete sighed and shook his head in exasperation, the twins wincing sympathetically.

“I’ll see what I can do to fix this.” Siwan said, gesturing to the birthday banner.

She turned and went to speak to a pair of servants, working with them to fix the banner. Seren and Pete left the drawing room, following Jackie back to the entrance hall.

“Rose!” Jackie called up the stairs. “Come here, Rose!”

“Aunt Jackie, how was JJ today?” Seren asked the older woman.

“He was okay, a bit fussy but he calmed down after the nanny fed him his bottle.” Jackie replied, glancing at her. “He should still be asleep.”

“Thanks.” Seren said with a smile. “And Happy Birthday.”

Seren hugged her godmother tightly before letting go and making her way up the stairs. Behind her, she could hear Pete presenting Jackie with the bouquet and Jackie’s scathing response to the beautiful floral arrangement. Seren sighed despondently at the change that had occurred in the older woman over the past decade and made her way down the hall to her son’s nursery. Going inside quietly, she made her way to the crib and looked down at her sleeping son.

1-year-old Johnathan James ‘JJ’ Smith was all that Seren had left of her husband, Dr. Johnathan 'John' Smith. Scientist John Smith and his lab partner, James McCrimmon - both of whom JJ was named after - lost their lives 1½ years earlier in a lab accident as they tried to save a group of technicians. They were able to save the technicians but were unable to clear the lab before it exploded, costing them their lives.

John and Seren had met when he first joined Vitex, Seren was 17 while John was 29. The two had become close friends, Seren’s eagerness to learn about the science behind her godfather's products often driving her to spend hours on end at the lab with John while he taught her and worked at the same time. Slowly, the two fell in love with each other, and though their relationship raised a few eyebrows due to the significant age difference, they eventually got married when Seren was 20 and John was 32. Unfortunately, they only had roughly 2½ years together as a married couple before John’s untimely death when Seren was 4 months pregnant.

JJ was a perfect mix of both his parents, from physical appearance to personality, even though he was only a year old. In physical appearance, he had his father’s dark brown hair and blue eyes, though with his mother’s doe shape, a light skin tone that was a blend of Seren’s milk white tone and John’s slightly darker tone, a small button nose, rosy cherub cheeks and full dark pink lips. In personality, he had both their stubbornness, adventurous nature and sense of right and wrong. With his large blue eyes and full lips in a perpetual pout, he would have just about everyone he met wrapped around his fingers within moments of meeting them – something he often took advantage of when caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to, which was more often than not.

Seren gently kissed her sleeping son and quietly made her way out of the nursery and into her own room next door while removing her Ear Pods. Just before entering her room, she saw Siwan entering her own room while removing her own Ear Pods, both women needing to get ready for the dual party that evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mickey, keep an eye on Rose.” The Doctor told Mickey quietly before running after Seren, back to the TARDIS.

Entering the TARDIS and closing the door behind him, a pang of sorrow and pain shot through his heart at the sight that greeted him. Seren was curled on the jump seat and sobbing, her head buried in her knees and her shoulders shaking with each sob.

“Seren Rhosyn?” He asked quietly, making his way to her and crouching in front of her.

“I’m okay. I just need a minute.” She said tremulously, raising her head and looking at him with tears-filled amethyst eyes. Eyes that no longer had any trace of the gold Vortex energy that used to run through her.

He knew that she wasn’t fine, that she needed more than a minute. He quietly moved so that he was sitting next to her and gathered her in his arms, holding her while she succumbed to another round of tears, her shoulders shaking with each sob. The Doctor just couldn’t understand how Rose could be so oblivious to the pain Seren was in, he couldn't understand the blonde’s inability to see what her actions were doing to the older woman.

“I think I’ve set a new record.” Seren said quietly with a dry, humorless laugh, raising her head slightly and looking up at the Time Lord.

“What do you mean?” The Doctor asked in confusion.

“I’ve already lost Uncle Pete twice, once as a child and again last year when we went back to 1987. Now, it most likely will be the third time I lose him.” Seren said in the same humorless tone. “Except this time, it won’t be to death, but to his own family. His own Jackie, Rose, Seren, Siwan and Rhiannon. His own grandkids.” She gave a dry laugh, tears streaming down her face. “Is it possible to lose the same person more than once?”

“Will you be okay?” The Doctor asked, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make her feel better.

“I will be, just give me a little time, please.” Seren said honestly as the two of them pulled apart from their embrace and got to their feet. “I just need some time to be able to handle the loss of the Vortex and the dimness of my bonds with the Mara and everyone I love.” She turned to the console and looked at the Time Rotor, taking note of the damage caused by the explosion. “Let’s just worry about figuring out what’s wrong with Idris and hopefully find a way to fix her. Then we can get the hell out of this world and away from temptation.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He said, giving her a bright grin before turning to look at the console.

The two worked in tandem, fixing the Time Rotor with the Doctor doing the actual fixing and Seren handing him the tools he needed. Once the Time Rotor was fixed, the two tried working the controls on the console, fiddling with levers and pushing buttons.

“Argh!” The Doctor cried in frustration when the controls refused to respond to their commands, running his hands through his hair.

Seren reached out and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, feeling the tenseness of his muscles through his suit. Both of them turned and looked over at the door when they heard it open.

“I told you to keep an eye on her!” The Doctor moaned in irritation when he saw Mickey enter the TARDIS alone and close the door behind him.

“She’s all right.” Mickey said reassuringly.

“She goes wandering off! Parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house!” The Doctor exclaimed. “All those temptations, calling her.”

“Oh, so it’s just Rose then? Nothing out there to tempt me?” Mickey snapped back, getting fed up with the Time Lord treating him as though he was nothing.

Seren realized in an instant that just as there was something in this world to tempt her and Rose, there may be something to tempt Mickey as well – his grandmother.

“Mickey, you can’t go looking for Gran.” Seren said gently, stepping towards him and taking his hand. “Just like Rose and I can’t go looking for Uncle Pete. I’m sorry.”

Mickey sighed unhappily, his expression sad, but nodded in understanding. Seren had told him about what had happened when the Doctor had taken her and Rose to 1987, the overwhelming temptation to save her parents and having to fight it with every fiber of her being, how she had even begged the Doctor to stop her if she gave any indication of giving in. He knew that if his grandmother was alive in this world, than he may not have the strength to leave her if and when they find a way home.

“I’m sorry, Mickey.” The Doctor said quietly, looking apologetically at the Londoner. “I didn’t realize that you would have something that would tempt you as well.” Mickey nodded in acceptance of the apology. “If I could just get this thing to…” He kicked the console hard, frustration pouring off him in waves.

“Did that help?” Mickey asked with a snicker.

“Yes.” The Doctor bit out, going to the jump seat.

“Did that hurt?” Mickey asked, taking obvious pleasure in the Time Lord’s equally obvious pain.

“Yes.” The Doctor moaned, sitting down on the jump seat and rubbing his foot. “Ow.”

“That’s what you get for kicking Idris.” Seren said sternly, looking at the Time Lord with amusement on her face.

The amusement quickly faded as she turned and looked back at the console, keenly feeling the loss of the Vortex and the silence in her mind that she had become so accustomed to.

“We’re not meant to be here.” The Doctor said quietly, putting his foot back down and looking around the darkened control room. “The TARDIS draws her power from the Universe, but we’re in the wrong Universe.”

“Like diesel in a petrol engine.” Seren summarized, leaning against the console.

“But I've seen it in comics.” Mickey said, sitting on the jump seat next to the Doctor. “People go hopping from one alternative world to another. It's easy!”

“Not in the real world.” The Doctor said, pausing for a second before continuing. “Used to be easy. When the Time Lords kept their eye on everything, you could hop between realities, home in time for tea.” He sighed sadly. “Then they died, and took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed. Everything became that bit less kind.”

“Then how did we get here?” Mickey asked.

“I don't know. Accident?” The Doctor suggested, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. He looked and sounded weary and drained out. “Should've been impossible, now we're trapped.”

Seren glanced at the Doctor for a moment, worry etched across her face before looking at the ground. She frowned when something caught her eye.

“What's that?” She asked, pushing off the console and bending down to have a closer look.

It was a tiny spec of glowing green light just beneath the grilling.

“What?” Both men asked, straightening in the jump seat and looking at the Welshwoman.

“That, there. Under the console.” Seren said, pointing to the light. “Something is glowing.” She glanced up at the ceiling and the immediate area that surrounded her before looking back at the light. “I don’t think it’s a reflection.”

The Doctor shot to his feet and crouched next to Seren, looking down at the spec of light.

“It's a light! Is it? Is that a light? I think that's a light! That's all we need!” The Doctor rambled excitedly. Seren stepped back while the Doctor and Mickey removed the grilling. “We've got power! Mickey, Seren Rhosyn, we've got power! Ha!” Seren laughed with relief and the Doctor jumped down, going beneath the main part of the console. “It’s alive!”

The Time Lord was deliriously happy, the small speck of light giving him hope that they would return to their own world, their own Universe.

“What is it?” Mickey asked, confused.

“It’s nothing. It’s tiny.” The Doctor replied, moving several wires out of the way so he could reach the spec of light. “One of those insignificant little power cells that no-one ever bothers about. And it’s clinging onto life! But with one little ounce of reality tucked away inside!”

“One of those little, insignificant things that turn out to be very significant.” Seren commented, earning a bright smile from the Time Lord.

“Right you are, Seren Rhosyn.” The Doctor said, climbing back up and pressing a kiss to her cheek before going back beneath the console, not noticing the woman’s blush.

“And is that enough to get us home?” Mickey asked, a smirk on his face when he saw the blush that stained Seren’s milk-white cheeks at the Doctor’s kiss.

“Not yet.” The Doctor said truthfully, picking up the power cell and sitting back on the small stairs under the grilling that led beneath the console. “I need to charge it up.”

“We could take it outside and lash it up to the National Grid.” Mickey suggested.

“Wrong sort of energy.” The Doctor said.

“It needs to come from our Universe.” Seren explained. “Because that’s where she draws her power from.”

“But we don’t have anything.” Mickey pointed out.

“There’s me.” The Doctor said with a grin.

“There’s  _us_.” Seren corrected, crouching down beside Mickey so she was directly across from the Doctor. “I have the power of the Mara flowing through me and I have had the power of the Vortex for months before we crash landed here. I can give some of my energy as well.”

The Doctor nodded and held up the power cell cupped in his hands. Seren put her tiny hands over his larger ones and they both blew on the power cell gently. It began to glow brightly, a slight shimmer appearing along Seren’s arms at the same time.

“We just gave away 10 years of our lives.” The Doctor said, he and Seren beaming brightly. “Worth every second!”

The Doctor giggled dorkishly and Seren rolled her eyes, a fond smile on her face.

“Seren, the shimmer is back in your skin.” Mickey said, looking at the woman’s bare arms.

“Very slight.” Seren stated, seeing the barest hint of the shimmer in her veins.

“It’ll return slowly as the cell powers up.” The Doctor said reassuringly.

He held the power cell up and they watched as it glowed for a few seconds before the light faded.

“It’s going out. Is that OK?” Mickey asked with a frown.

“It's on a recharging cycle.” The Doctor explained. “It'll loop 'round, power back up and be ready to take us home in, ooh, 12 hours?”

He would have said 24 but since both he and Seren both gave 10 years, it had cut the time in half.

“So, that gives us 12 hours on a recharging cycle?” Mickey asked innocently.

Seren looked at Mickey and raised an eyebrow, not buying the seeming innocence of his question.

“Shore leave.” The Doctor said, getting to his feet and pocketing the power cell. “As long as we keep our heads down. Easy, no problem.”

“Let's go and tell Rose.” Seren said with a smile as she grabbed her purse, happy they were finally going to return to their own Universe.

She looped her elbow through the Doctor’s and the three of them walked out of the TARDIS. They walked around for a while before reaching the embankment of the Thames where they found Rose sitting on the backrest of a bench, staring despondently into the water.

“There you are!” The Doctor exclaimed when he saw Rose. “You all right? No applause, I fixed it!” He held up the power cell, currently clear of any light, and flopped back on the bench beside her. Mickey sat on her other side while Seren stood in front of her. “12 hours and we’re flying back to reality.”

Rose stayed silent, not reacting to what should be good news for them. Seren frowned and stepped closer to her, taking her hands and holding them gently.

“What’s wrong, Rose? What happened?” Seren asked in concern.

“My phone connected.” She replied softly. “There’s this... Cybus Network, it finds your phone. It gave me Internet access.”

“Rose, this isn’t our world.” Seren reminded her gently. “Whatever it says, it doesn’t matter-”

“I don’t exist.” Rose said, cutting Seren off.

“What?” Seren asked, completely taken aback and confused by the news.

“There is no Rose Tyler in this world! I was never born, but you were!” ” Rose cried, glaring at Seren.

“What?” Seren repeated, staring at Rose with wide eyes.

Seren suddenly realized why there was no strand of light connecting her to Rose while all the others were dim – it was because Rose didn’t exist in this world so there was nothing there to dim.

“You, Siwan and Rhi were born!” Rose yelled angrily. “In this world, Siwan is your twin and Rhi is your elder sister. All three of you were raised by Mum and Dad after Uncle Ifan and Aunt Glenda died in a car accident.” Rose stood up abruptly, the sudden movement sending Seren to the ground where she looked up at the angry blonde with wide eyes. “How is that fair! Why do you and your sisters get to have time with Dad when I don’t? Not only that, but Siwan’s engaged to Adam and you’re married with a kid!”

“I’m married?” Seren asked quietly, slowly getting to her feet and staring at Rose with wide eyes.

“Widowed, actually.” Rose corrected, her anger fading for the moment. “A scientist named John Smith who died a year and a half ago along with his lab partner, a fellow scientist named James McCrimmon.”

“Oh  _Duw._ ” Seren breathed with wide eyes, staring at Rose in disbelief.

“I’ve gotta see him.” Rose all but demanded, her words shaking Seren out of her dazed state.

Seren and the Doctor looked at Rose while Mickey looked away, his thoughts racing.

“You can’t.” The Doctor said firmly.

“I just wanna see ‘em.” Rose whined.

“I know how much you want to see them, Rose. Trust me, I do.” Seren said gently. “But you can’t.”

“You just said 12 hours!” Rose exclaimed, looking at the Doctor.

“You can’t become their daughter, that’s not the way it works.” The Doctor said exasperatedly.

“12 hours, yeah?” Mickey asked in clarification, getting to his feet.

“Where are you going?” The Doctor asked him in bewilderment, getting to his feet.

“I can do what I want.” Mickey called, turning around to look at Seren and the Doctor while walking backwards.

“I’ve got the address and everything.” Rose said while holding up her mobile, walking backwards as well and going in the opposite direction of Mickey.

“Stay where you are, both of you.” Seren ordered, looking between Mickey and Rose.

“Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here right now!” The Doctor ordered.

“I just wanna see him.” Rose said childishly.

“Yeah, I’ve got things to see and all.” Mickey said.

Seren sighed in resignation and looked between the two departing humans and then up at the Time Lord in front of her.

“You go with Rose and keep an eye on her, I’ll go with Mickey.” Seren said, realizing that they were fighting a losing battle. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to go with Rose because there was already a version of her that was likely to be at the Tyler residence, which was where Rose was most probably going. “I have my mobile with me and you can call if anything happens.”

“Okay, fine.” The Doctor said with a resigned sigh of his own. “Back here, 12 hours.”

“12 hours.” Seren agreed with a nod.

The two turned and walked away, the Doctor chasing after Rose and grumbling the entire time while Seren caught up with Mickey.

“Let’s go see Gran.” Seren said cheerfully, looping her arm through Mickey’s.

The two quickly made their way to the last place they knew Rita-Anne Smith lived, noticing the differences between this world and their own. They walked passed a vacant factory lot and up to a military roadblock, soldiers standing around. One of the soldiers caught sight of the pair and walked up to them.

“Are we all right to get past?” Mickey asked.

“Yeah. No bother. Curfew doesn't start ’til ten.” The soldier replied.

“There’s a curfew?” Seren asked, bewildered, cocking her head to the side.

“’Course there is. Where’ve you been living, mate? Up there with the toffs?” The soldier asked, looking up to the zeppelin-filled sky.

Mickey and Seren followed his gaze and looked at the zeppelins that flew overhead for a moment before looking back at the soldier.

“We wish.” Mickey said with dry laugh before walking past him. “See ya!”

The soldier lifted the barrier and let Seren and Mickey through, the two thanking him and waving before walking down the road, past the army trucks. They had just reached the corner before Rita-Anne’s street when Seren’s mobile began beeping, giving off a two-tone ring.

“Mickey, wait.” Seren said, tugging his arm and stopping him in his tracks.

Seren pulled her mobile out of her bag and looked at it, seeing that it had connected to the Cybus Network just as Rose’s had. Both of them stood against the wall, hidden from sight if anyone where to look around.

“News...international news...sports...weather..." Seren said, scrolling through the daily updates that had appeared on the main screen right after she unlocked her mobile. "TV schedules...lottery numbers...joke. It’s a daily download published by Cybus Industries."

“Cybus Industries?” Mickey asked, recognizing the name from the factory lot they had passed and from the network that connected the mobiles.

“Owners of just about every company in Britain apparently.” Seren said, opening an information window and skimming through the contents. “Including Vitex. This Uncle Pete is  _very_ well connected.”

Her phone chimed with the alert of an incoming text. Closing the information window and opening the messaging center, she read the text.

“The Doctor and Rose are going to the Tyler residence.” Seren told Mickey with a sigh, wondering just when Rose would learn to  _listen_ to what she’s being told. She looked up at Mickey, putting her mobile back in her purse. “Ready to go see Gran?”

“Yes.” Mickey replied with a nod before shaking his head. “No.”

“We don’t have to do this.” Seren said, realizing and understanding his torment.

Mickey was scared to find out if his beloved grandmother was dead in this Universe as well, uncertain if he could handle the knowledge of losing her even if it was a version of her that wasn’t  _his._

“No, I need… I  _need_ to know.” Mickey said, taking a breath and squaring his shoulders.

“Okay, let’s go.” Seren said, nodding.

The two turned the corner to a more run-down looking area of the town. They crossed the street and walked up to Number 1, Mickey reaching out and rattling the knocker.

"Who's that there?" An elderly sounding woman called out from inside. The door opened to reveal an elderly West Indian woman standing there – Rita-Anne, Mickey's blind grandmother - with a white stick and a pair of Ear Pods in her ears. "Who is it? I know you're there. Shame on you, tricking an old lady. I've got nothing worth stealing." She brandished her cane warningly. "And don't think I'm gonna disappear! You're  _not_ gonna take _me_!"

“Hi.” Mickey said breathlessly, overcome with emotion and staring at the elder woman.

Seren put a comforting hand on his arm and squeezed gently. He covered her hand with his in silent gratefulness.

Hearing Mickey’s voice, Rita-Anne stopped in her tracks, lowering her cane.

“Is that you?” Rita-Anne asked in a hushed voice, stepping out of the house and onto the stoop.

“It’s me. I came home.” Mickey replied, a smile crossing his face as Rita-Anne reached out to him, touching his face.

“Ricky?” She asked.

Seren had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep the amused snort from escaping.

“It’s Mickey.” Mickey corrected automatically, shooting a glare at Seren.

“I know my own grandson’s name, it’s Ricky. Now, come here.” Rita-Anne said, wagging her finger at him before pulling him into a hug.

Mickey held on to her tightly, savoring the warmth of the woman who raised him from childhood.

“Okay, I’m Ricky.” He breathed, a smile on his face. He was so happy he had her back, even for a little while, that he would be anyone she wanted him to be. "Of course I am. Ricky, that's me." Rita-Anne suddenly pushed him away and whacked him on the shoulder. At the action, Seren had to cover her mouth with both hands to smother her laughter, remembering all the times Mickey used to get smacked by his fierce grandmother. “Ow!”

“You stupid boy!” She growled, smacking him again. “Where’ve you been?”

“Ow! Stop hitting me!” Mickey cried as Rita-Anne continued to hit him.

“It’s been days and days!” She snapped, hitting him as she spoke. “People disappearing off the streets. There's nothing of it on the download." She stopped hitting him and tapped her Ear Pod in explanation. "But there're all these rumors, and-and whispers. I thought they’d gone and disappeared you!"

Mickey and Seren listened to what she was saying and a glance behind her brought their attention to a torn carpet on the stairs.

“That carpet on the stairs," Mickey cut in, his voice trembling as memories washed over him. "I told you to get it fixed, you're gonna…" He squeezed his eyes shut, holding his tears back through sheer force of will. "Fall and break your neck."

“Well, you get it fixed for me.” Rita-Anne said.

“I should’a done way back.” Mickey said, guilt holding his heart in a vice grip. “I guess I’m just kinda useless.”

Seren bit her lip at her best-friend’s words, sorrow filling her heart.

“Now, I never said that.” Rita-Anne replied, her tone softening.

“I am, though. And I’m sorry, Gran. I’m so sorry.” Mickey said, his voice choked on his tears.

“Don’t talk like that.” Rita-Anne said, cupping his cheek gently. “Do you know what you need? A nice sit down and a cuppa tea. You got time?”

“For you, I’ve got all the time in the world.” Mickey said, looking at her with a gentle expression.

“You say that, but it’s all talk.” Rita-Anne said with a laugh. The laugh faded and concerned filled her tone as she said, “It’s those new friends of yours. I don’t trust them.”

“What friends are they?” Mickey questioned curiously, exchanging a look with Seren.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” Rita-Anne said sternly. “You’ve been seeing them ever since Seren got married and had sweet little JJ.” Mickey and Seren shared a surprised look. “Mrs. Chan told me. Driving about all helter-skelter in that van.”

“What van’s that then?” Mickey asked with a frown.

“You know full well! Don’t play games with me.” Rita-Anne snapped as a van skidded to a stop behind them. “Get inside!”

Mickey took a step towards the house when he and Seren were both grabbed by the collars and pulled backwards.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” A man shouted, shoving them both into the van and slamming the door shut behind them.

The woman driving pressed on the gas and the van took off, peeling down the road and leaving Rita-Anne calling after them in fear and confusion. Mickey and Seren looked at the man who shoved them into the van, sitting down across from them. He had short spiky platinum blonde hair and was dressed in dark clothes.

The man shot Seren a quick glare before turning to Mickey.

"Ricky, you were the one who told  _us_. You don't contact your family 'cos it puts them in danger!" The man reprimanded him while Seren raised a confused eyebrow at the glare she was given, wondering where the hostility was coming from.

"Yeah," Mickey said with a nod, confusion apparent on his face though the blonde man didn’t notice. "Ricky said that. ‘Course I did, just testing."

Seren rolled her eyes and had to bite back a groan at Mickey’s attempt to play himself off as Ricky, though for the moment it seemed to be working since neither of their captors realized they were talking to the wrong version.

"I saw them. I taped them!” The blonde man said. “They went round Blackfriars gathering up the homeless like the Child Catcher. They must've took four dozen."

“The vans were hired out to a company called International Electromatics.” The blonde female driver said, glancing back at them briefly before turning her eyes back onto the road. “But I did a protocol search. Turns out that's a dummy company established by, guess who?”

"I dunno, who?" Mickey asked.

"Cybus Industries!" The man and the woman said in unison.

Mickey and Seren nodded, going along with it since they didn’t really have much choice.

“Well, now we’ve got evidence!” The man told the woman.

“Bad news is, they’ve arrested Thin Jimmy.” The woman called back, directing her words to Mickey. “So that just leaves you.”

“Leaves me what?” Mickey asked with a confused frown, a similar one on Seren’s face.

"The Number One. Top of the list. London's Most Wanted." The man said with a broad grin, as though it was something to be pleased about.

"Okay, cool," Mickey said, nodding slowly before it sunk in. "Say that again?"

“London’s Most Wanted!” Seren shrieked, staring at the blonde man with eyes wide in shock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Night had fallen completely by the time they stopped driving. Seren had eventually calmed down from the news that Mickey was considered London’s Most Wanted due to his parallel counterpart - Mickey having played a big hand in calming her down by pulling her into a hug and holding her tightly (which earned her another glare from the blond man, Jake).

Jake opened the door and hopped out first, his gaze going to the lights that shone from the house windows.

“There's a light on. There's someone inside the base.” Jake said while Mickey hopped out behind him and then turned to give Seren a hand. "Mrs. Moore, we've got visitors."

The blonde woman, Mrs. Moore, and Jake jumped into action, grabbing their guns. The two of them snuck down the side of the house, guns at the ready like spies, and with Mickey behind them. Seren rolled her eyes at their actions and followed with her Bo staffs out and extended, all four of them coming to a stop at the front door, crouching before they could be see by whomever was inside.

"One...two...three...go!" Jake counted before throwing the door open.

Mrs. Moore and Jake burst into the room with Mickey and Seren behind them, their guns pointed at the intruder, only to stare in dumbfounded shock at the man standing on the other side of the room – a man identical to Mickey, his parallel counterpart, Ricky Smith.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ricky demanded, glaring at them.

Mrs. Moore and Jake looked between Mickey and Ricky with completely bewildered expressions, unable to understand how there were two versions of the same person. Seren, seeing the parallel counter part, retracted her Bo staffs and tucked them into her back pocket.

“What're you doing there?” Jake asked bewildered, lowering his gun.

“What am I doing here?” Ricky repeated, slowly walking towards the four of them with his brow furrowed. “What am I doing over there?”

At the second question, Ricky pointed at Mickey. Mrs. Moore and Jake spun around and pointed their guns at Mickey, who raised his hands in the air with wide eyes. Seren rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seren mingled with the party guests as they waited for Pete to announce Jackie’s entrance before both would announce Adam and Siwan’s entrance. JJ was running around, ducking between the guests’ legs and entertaining them with his excited babble and bright smile that showed his four teeth, two on top and two on the bottom.

Seren was dressed in a purple, pink and silver saree with a matching purple and silver blouse, the drape pleated and pinned over her left shoulder*. Her jewelry consisted of a small light purple and white diamond necklace and earring set inlaid in silver*, a stack of matching silver, white, purple and pink bangles on each wrist*, her wedding rings on her left ring finger and her Ear Pods in each ear. Her long hair was tied in a fancy bun at the back of her head with a beautiful silver and diamond hair comb*, a strand left loose and curled at her temples on either side of her face. On her feet, she wore a pair of 6” high heeled silver open-toed, ankle strap sandals*. For the occasion, and bowing to her godmother’s pleas, she was also wearing makeup, consisting only of light shimmery-metallic pink eyeshadow, purple eyeliner with black kohl lining her waterline* and clear lip-gloss accenting her natural dark red-pink lips. With her naturally long eyelashes and blush-filled rosy cheeks, she had no need for anything more.

JJ meanwhile was dressed in a black waistcoat and trouser suit with a white button-down shirt and a purple tie that matched his mother’s dress*. On his feet, he wore a pair of smart black shoes. The blazer that matched his suit had lasted all of 10 minutes before being removed and promptly lost somewhere in the house. 

When Lucy, one of the servers passed by with a serving tray, Seren took a salmon pinwheel and nibbled on it, speaking with her companion (and lab colleague at Vitex) about how things were going with their newest experiment.

“Oh, never mind about experiments, Seren, Tom.” An elderly woman admonished gently to the two scientists. “Seren, this is your godmother’s birthday party and your twin’s engagement party. You can survive not talking about work for one evening.”

“Yes, Mrs. Peters.” Seren and Tom said in unison, smiling at the elderly woman who only shook her head exasperatedly at them.

“Where are Rhiannon and Johnny?” Another woman, Mrs. Marks, asked as Tom walked away and joined another conversation. “I haven’t seen them.”

“Unfortunately, David and Mica both fell sick yesterday.” Seren replied, a shadow of worry passing over her face as she spoke. “Rhiannon and Johnny didn’t want to take the chance of travelling with them so they stayed in Cardiff.”

“Oh, the poor dears.” Mrs. Marks said sympathetically, just as elderly as Mrs. Peters. “I’m sure they weren’t too happy with their parent’s decision to stay behind.”

“No, they were not.” Seren said with a light laugh, remembering the adamant expressions on the two children’s faces when they were told they wouldn’t be coming to London for the party. “But we’re planning on going to Cardiff in a few weeks, so that appeased them somewhat. By the time we ended the call, the two of them had already come up with a long list of things they had planned for the trip. And that's _with_ taking into account that we'll only be there for a week or two.”

The small group of women laughed, each of them remembering the times when their own children had been young. Laughing lightly as well, Seren turned and her gaze was caught by a blonde female server and a brown-haired male server entering the entry hall, the woman carrying a tray of nibbles while the man was carrying a tray of champagne. She frowned, not recognizing the pair from when she had handled hiring and meeting the servers for the evening. She hadn’t gotten any notice of servers who were unable to work that evening, so she wondered who the pair were.

“Seren, how is little JJ doing these days?” An elderly woman, Dr. Myers, asked, drawing Seren’s attention away from the two strangers though she made a mental note to investigate. 

“He’s doing well.” Seren replied with a smile, knowing full well not to say anything that would give the nosy woman any ammunition for gossip. She knew that Dr. Myers was looking for juicy gossip to feed the rumor mills about how Seren was handling the death of her husband and raising her son as a signle parent, even with the aid of her family. “As you can tell, he’s very fast on his feet and takes every opportunity to play ‘Hide-and-Seek’.”

The women around her laughed at the comment and the exasperated sigh Seren gave when describing her son’s antics. Before any of them could say anything else, Pete drew everyone’s attention to him.

“Excuse me!” Pete called loudly, the band stopping the music while everyone turned their attention to the blonde man standing on the staircase. “Thank you very much. Thank you. If I could just have your attention, please?”

“Pete!” A man shouted from the crowd. “Go on, Pete!”

“Thank you very much!” Pete said with a laugh.

“It’s about time you did some work!” Another man called, earning a spattering of laughter from the crowd.

“Um, I'd just like to say thank you to you all, for coming on this-this very special occasion.” Pete said with a smile. “My wife's… 39th-”

The crowd chuckled at their host’s words.

“Don’t believe that one!” A man called with a laugh.

“Trust me on this.” Pete said with a smile and his trademark ‘thumbs up’ sign, earning a louder laugh from the crowd. “So, without any further ado, here she is. The birthday girl...my lovely wife...Jackie Tyler."

He gestured to the top of the stairs and Jackie descended gracefully, her hair done up in an elegant bun and dressed in a tight black dress, black sheer stockings and black high heeled sandals. The crowd gave a round of polite applause and cheers, cameras flashing as photos were taken of the birthday girl. She stopped in the middle of the steps, standing next to Pete and facing the crowd of guests.

“Now, my parties are usually famous for me not giving a speech.” Jackie said with a smile. “No work, no politics, just a few good mates and plenty of black-market whisky. Pardon me, Mr. President!” She added jokingly to the President as the crowd laughed. “But this time, I’m making an exception.”

“Today is made extra special because it’s also our youngest goddaughter’s engagement party.” Pete said with a proud smile. “Let me introduce my beloved goddaughter, my Little Bird, Siwan Jones, and the love of her life, Adam Pierson.”

There was a round of loud, raucous applause and cheers as the newly engaged couple descended the stairs arm-in-arm. Both were smiling radiantly, happiness and love pouring off them in waves.

Siwan was dressed in a beautiful red lehenga with a halter-neck blouse*, silver embroidery on the blouse and skirt with the dupatta hanging off her elbows behind her. She wore a stack of matching red and silver bangles* on each wrist and a pair of red and silver jhumka earrings inlaid in silver* in her ears as well as her Ear Pods, her engagement ring sparkling on her left ring finger. She had her hair tied back in a bun with a beautiful silver hair comb*. On her feet were a pair of 6” silver open-toed, ankle strapped sandals*. Like her twin, she was also wearing makeup after bowing to Jackie’s pleas, consisting only of light red shimmery-metallic eyeshadow, a thin line of black eyeliner with black kohl lining her waterline* and a clear lip-gloss accenting her natural dark red-pink lips.

Adam was dressed in a black suit with a red waistcoat, tie and handkerchief, a white button-down shirt* and black shoes. His hair was combed neatly and parted at one side and on his left wrist, he wore a silver Rolex watch*.

“I’m going to take a leaf out of Aunt Jackie’s book and not give a speech.” Siwan said with a radiant smile, earning a laugh from the crowd and Jackie. The couple stood next to Jackie and Pete who had moved to the side. “We can only say thank you for coming and celebrating with us.”

“Thank you.” Adam said with a smile.

“So, get on with it. Enjoy, enjoy.” Jackie said smiling.

The crowd clapped as Pete and Jackie smiled at each other and descended the remaining steps hand-in-hand with Adam and Siwan behind them. Cameras flashed once again, this time focusing more on the engaged couple though Jackie and Pete got their share of pictures taken.

While Pete and Jackie mingled with their guests, Seren went up to Adam and Siwan and gave them both a tight hug. JJ, not wanting to be left out, quickly grabbed Adam’s attention by tugging on his pant leg.

“Up.” JJ demanded, raising his arms to the older man.

Adam laughed and picked the boy up, holding him against his hip.

“Keep a close watch on him when he’s with you. He’s been experimenting with climbing and has nearly managed to get up the stairs.” Seren warned with a grin, poking JJ in the side lightly.

“And the chairs.” Siwan added, making a face at JJ and causing the boy to laugh delightedly.

“Don’t worry, Seren. I’ll keep an eye on him when he’s with me.” Adam said reassuringly.

The sound of barking drew their attention and they turned to the sound, seeing Rose run into the room.

“Uppy! Uppy!” JJ squealed, seeing the dog and wriggled in Adam’s arms.

Adam shook his head and put the toddler on the ground gently. JJ wasted no time running (toddling) to Jackie who had picked the dog up and was talking with a few guests a few feet away.

“Uppy.” JJ said, looking up at Jackie.

“JJ, you want to play with Rose?” Jackie asked in a child-like voice, bending down so she was eye-level with the toddler.

“Uppy!” JJ squealed happily, reaching out to Rose.

Jackie laughed and put Rose down, letting her play with the toddler. Rose barked, letting JJ pet her and run his small hand through her fur. The dog barked again, her tail wagging as she took several steps away from the boy.

“Oh, please don’t.” Seren moaned, seeing the dog wag her tail and step away from the boy.

Unfortunately, Seren’s plea went unanswered because the next second, Rose barked loudly and ran out of the room with JJ hot on her heels.

“Seren, just let him play for a bit before you run after him.” Adam said with a smile, seeing the woman get ready to chase after her son.

“Okay, might as well.” Seren sighed.

They split up, the couple going in one direction with Seren going in the other, and mingled with the guests while still keeping an eye on JJ and Rose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You lot are complete idiots.” Seren said with another eye roll, her arms folded over her chest.

The four of them were in another room, this one with a splendid 18th Century painted ceiling. There was a nice fire roaring in the hearth, bathing the room in golden light and giving a nice warmth.

“Seren, what are you doing here?” Ricky asked, looking at the Welshwoman while Jake and Mrs. Moore stripped Mickey down to his boxers and tied him to a chair. “I thought you were going to be at the party? What with it being Siwan’s engagement party as well as Jackie’s birthday.”

Seren had to use all her skills in acting to conceal her shock at the news of Siwan getting engaged. In their Universe, Adam and Siwan were still dating, though they were all just waiting for when he would finally pop the question. Or when Siwan would take matters into her own hands and ask  _him_.

“Slight detour.” Seren said vaguely, not being able to say much else.

“How you doing, though?” Ricky asked, looking at her closely while Jake ran a scanner over Mickey from head to toe. “Raising JJ without John?”

“I’m handling it.” Seren said with a shaky smile.

Thankfully, Ricky mistook the shaky smile as sorrow instead of uncertainty on how to respond and put his arm around her comfortingly. Jake, seeing the move from the corner of his eye, shot Seren a glare before returning to the scan he was running on Mickey.

Mickey and Seren caught each other’s eyes and raised their eyebrows, having caught the glare that Jake shot her. They both wondered where the hostility was coming from and Mickey realized that it had been there since they were tossed in the van.

“He’s clean. No bugs.” Jake said with a sigh, turning to Ricky.

Jake managed to hold back another glare at the sight of Ricky holding Seren close to him.

"But this is off the scale," Ricky commented, letting go of Seren and eyeing Mickey, "He's flesh and blood, how did that happen?"

“Well, it could be that Cybus Industries have perfected the science of human cloning…” Mrs. Moore suggested. “Or your father had a bike.”

Seren bit back a snort at the last comment while Ricky stared at Mickey menacingly. She moved to the side and hopped up onto an empty table, crossing one leg over the other as she watched the scene in front of her. Though she looked completely relaxed, she had her Bo-staff in her back pocket and within reach, ready to use it the moment she felt that either she or Mickey were in danger.

“Your name’s Mickey, not Ricky?” Ricky asked Mickey, moving forward and circling his bound counterpart menacingly.

“Mickey.” He said with a nod, his voice containing a hint of a tremor though he was able to mask his fear quite well. “Dad was Jackson Smith. Used to work at the key cutters in Clifton's Parade. Went to Spain, never came back.”

“But that’s  _my_ dad.” Ricky said, stopping on Mickey’s side and bending forward to get a better look at him. “So… we’re brothers?”

"Be fair," Jake commented. "What else could it be?"

"I don't know.” Ricky said, staring at Mickey with a furrowed brow. “But he doesn't just look like me, he is exactly the same. There's something else going on here, Jake."

“So-So who are you lot?” Mickey asked, managing to gather his wits enough to ask the question that had been running through his and Seren’s mind since they were first taken and shoved into the van by Jake.

"We-We are the Preachers.” Ricky said, straightening up and circling Mickey once again. “As in Gospel Truth. You see?" He stopped in front of Mickey and gestured to his ears. “No Ear Pods. While the rest of the world downloads from Cybus Industries, we-” Ricky bent forward once more and stared at Mickey fiercely in the face. “We have got freedom. You're talking to London's Most Wanted, but target Number One is Lumic, and we  _are_  going to bring him down.”

“From your kitchen?” Seren asked sassily.

Jake smirked, showing a non-hostile expression toward Seren for the first time since they met. Ricky glanced at Jake before looking at Seren, straightening up.

“Have you got a problem with that, Smith?” Ricky asked with a scowl on his face.

“Not at all, Smith.” Seren replied with a smirk, her tone still sassy.

Mrs. Moore’s laptop beeped with an incoming alert and they all looked at her, Ricky still with a scowl on his face.

“It’s an upload from Gemini.” The blonde woman said, glancing at her companions before looking back at the screen.

“Who’s Gemini?” Mickey asked, looking between the three Preachers.

“The vans are back.” Mrs. Moore continued, all three Preachers ignoring Mickey’s question. “They're moving out of Battersea. Looks like Gemini was right. Lumic's finally making a move.”

“And we are right behind him.” Ricky announced, looking at Jake and gesturing silently for him to release Mickey from his bounds. “Pack up, we're leaving.”

Seren jumped off the table and helped Jake untie Mickey before handing him his clothes. They were silent, moving quickly and efficiently as Mickey redressed and the three Preachers grabbed their weapons and equipment before leaving the house.

The five of them climbed into the van with Ricky at the wheel and the rest in the back. They waited until an International Electromatics lorry drove past the base before following it at a discrete distance. Mickey watched with trepidation as Mrs. Moore and Jake checked their weapons and Seren made sure her own Bo-staffs were in working order.

“Seren?” Mickey asked uneasily.

She looked up at him with a questioning expression on her face. He didn’t say anything but looked at her Bo-staffs before looking back at her face.

“We don’t know what we’re up against, Mickey.” Seren said softly. “I’d like to be prepared in case it comes to a fight, though I would prefer  _not_ having to.”

He nodded in understanding, though he still looked uneasy. Of the five in the van, he was the only one that wouldn’t be much use in a fight and he was well aware of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seren quietly made her way through an empty hallway on the ground floor of the Tyler’s mansion, JJ in her arms and eagerly suckling his bottle of milk. The little boy had finally slowed down long enough for Seren to catch him, having sent his mother on a merry chase through the crowd of guests as he ran after Rose, and was ready for some of ‘Mummy’s Magic’. In this case it was being held only by his mother and no-one else, an action that Seren was only too happy to indulge.

Seren was brought out of her musings when she caught sight of the male server she didn’t recognize sneaking into a nearby office and closing the door behind him. She followed him and quietly opened the door a crack, peeking inside. She saw him leaning over the table and looking at the screen of an active laptop.

Seren opened the door properly and cleared her throat, catching the man’s attention. He whirled around and stared at her, his gaze going from her to JJ and back. The man had a pair of dark-rimmed glasses on, making him appear almost nerdy though they did not take away from his rather handsome appearance.

“Care to explain what you are doing in this office?” Seren asked with a raised eyebrow.

The office had once been John’s before his death and was now used by Pete, though the older man also had his own study near his bedroom on the top floor.

“Oh, I was just, um…” The man stammered for a moment before giving her a bright grin. He removed a bill-fold from his pocket, flipped it open and held it up to her. “Hi, I’m John Smith, one of the servers for this evening’s party.”

Seren looked at him completely unimpressed.

“No, you’re not.” She said, her unimpressed tone matching her expression. She managed to conceal the pang of pain that shot through her heart at his name - a name that was as common as her beloved John was not. At his surprised look, she continued, “Firstly, that paper’s blank. Secondly, I know all the staff that had been hired. You and your blonde companion are not among them. So, I ask again, who are you?”

“I’m a friend.” The man admitted, pocketing the bill-fold. “I’m the Doctor.”

“Nice to meet you.” Seren said, a gentle smile on her face. “I’m Seren Smith and this is my son, JJ.”

She could tell that he meant her and her family no harm. She may have Chosen a mortal life before John died, she still had her Empathic abilities as well as her instincts that have never led her astray.

The Doctor smiled at her before turning to the laptop, Seren stepping up beside him.

“You haven’t answered my question.” Seren said. “What are you doing in this office?”

“I saw the laptop, couldn’t resist.” The Doctor replied sheepishly, a grin on his face when he saw the encryption that came up on the screen.

Seren shook her head, the man reminding her a lot of John’s curiosity. The Doctor worked at cracking the encryption and Seren rocked JJ, holding the bottle in place while the baby’s eyes fluttered tiredly, close to falling asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Preacher’s van followed the lorry until it reached a small mansion. Parking at a discrete distance, Jake and Ricky got out to get a closer look at what they were dealing with while Mickey and Seren stayed inside the van with Mrs. Moore.

 _“I don't know what they're doing, but this seems to be the target.”_ Ricky said through the walkie-talkie from where he and Jake were hiding in the bushes in front of the mansion.  _“Big house, fair bit of money. Now we have got to find a way to get in.”_

“I’ve identified the address. It belongs to Peter Tyler, the Vitex millionaire.” Mrs. Moore said, her laptop open and active on her lap.

Mickey and Seren exchanged wide-eyed looks at the news. Not only were Rose and the Doctor in there, but so were Pete, Jackie and Seren’s parallel self.

“Pete Tyler?” Mickey repeated with wide eyes.

“He's listed as one of Lumic's henchmen, a traitor to the state.” Mrs. Moore said, looking at Seren with narrowed eyes.

“My godfather isn’t a traitor.” Seren hissed with narrowed eyes of her own, her expression fierce as she glared at the blonde woman across from her.

Seren knew that the Pete Tyler they were talking about wasn’t  _her_ Pete, but he was still the man that loved her like his own daughter. And in this world, Pete was the man that raised her and her sisters’ parallel counterparts as his own daughters.

“We’ve got to get in there.” Mickey said, shock and worry etched across his features.

 _“Now, shut it, duplicate. That's what I just said.”_ Ricky snapped.

Mickey reached out and put a calming hand on Seren’s leg, keeping the fierce Welshwoman’s anger calm.

Suddenly, the three of them were startled at the frantic return of Ricky and Jake who were panting.

“What happened?” Seren asked worriedly, pulling water bottles out of her purse and handing them to the two men.

“There are these metal things out there. Coming out of the vans.” Jake said, taking large gulps of water between sentences.

“Metal things?” Mickey, Seren and Mrs. Moore repeated in unison, confusion echoing in their voices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m in.” The Doctor said once he had cracked the encryption.

Seren, who had been pacing and rocking JJ to sleep, joined him by the desk and sat down on the chair while the Doctor looked over her shoulder.

“You know, you could’ve just let me do it.” Seren said with a smirk. “It wouldn’t have taken so long.”

“Why’s that?” The Doctor asked, a mad grin on his face.

“I was the one who put the encryption on it.” Seren replied with a grin, shifting JJ so he was resting his head against her shoulder.

 _“The most precious thing on this Earth is the human brain…”_ Lumic narrated as the presentation began with a display of the human brain, preventing the Doctor from responding.

“This is Mr. Lumic’s presentation.” Seren said with a frown, looking at the screen and watching the presentation.

“Who’s Lumic?” The Doctor asked, glancing at her before looking back at the screen.

“Owner of Cybus Industries.” Seren replied, not looking away from the presentation. “They created the Ear Pods, among other technological advancements.”

As the presentation continued, the Doctor and Seren’s expressions became steadily more horrified.

 _“This is the ultimate upgrade. Our greatest step into cyberspace.”_ Lumic narrated.

“Cybers!” The Doctor breathed in horror.

“What are Cybers?” Seren asked, not liking the horrified expression on his face.

“No time to explain! Let’s go!” The Doctor said, grabbing Seren’s arm and pulling her out of the office at a mad dash.

They slowed to a brisk walk when they entered the drawing room and the Doctor let go of Seren’s shoulder. He caught sight of his blonde companion, Rose, and gestured towards the window while Seren caught Siwan and Adam’s attention and gestured the same.

Discretely, the five of them went to the window and looked out. They stared in shock, seeing a number of marching figures in rows heading towards them across the expansive grounds, back-lighted by the floodlights. The figures were about as dainty as elephants.

“It’s happening again.” The Doctor breathed in horror, pressing his face against the glass.

“What’s happening?” Siwan asked in confusion, not liking the worry on Seren’s face and the way she was holding JJ tightly to her.

“What do you mean?” Rose asked in panic.

“I’ve seen them before.” The Doctor said, not answering the questions.

“Doctor, what are they?” Seren asked, her tone calm and firm despite her clear worry.

“Cybermen!” The Doctor replied.

Several Cybermen smashed through the French windows, creating an entry into the house. The guests screamed in fear and moved to stand closer together as the Cybermen stepped through the shattered now glass-less windows, herding the guests to the center of the drawing room.

“Did they have to smash through the windows?” Siwan asked in irritation, earning an exasperated eye roll from Seren. With the noise, Seren, Adam, the Doctor and Rose were the only ones that heard the sapphire-eyed Welshwoman’s question.

JJ woke with a start at the sound of the glass smashing and the screaming guests, adding his own terror-filled screams to the noise. Adam wrapped his arms around Siwan and Seren, holding them close while Seren frantically tried to calm JJ down. The Doctor and Rose were next to them, all five watching with keen eyes.

The President’s phone beeped, and he answered it with a distasteful tone in his voice, “Mr. Lumic.”

 _"Mr. President,"_ Lumic said with a wheeze.  _"I suppose a remark about crashing the party would be appropriate at this point?"_ He gave a dark chuckle.

“I forbade this!” The President exclaimed.

The crowd of guests looked around in fear, each wondering what was going on. Pete, standing behind the President, glanced over at Seren, Siwan and Adam a few feet away to make sure they were okay before checking on Jackie on the other side of the room. JJ had stopped crying, though he was clinging to Seren tightly and whimpering, his head buried in the crook of her neck.

_"These are my children, sir. Would you deny my family?"_

“What are they? Robots?” Rose asked the Doctor in a quiet whisper so as not to draw attention.

“Worse than that.” The Doctor replied in the same quiet whisper.

“Who were these people?” The President demanded to know.

 _“Doesn’t matter.”_ Lumic replied dismissively.

“They were people?” Seren gasped with horror, looking up at the Doctor with wide eyes.

“Yes.” The Doctor said sadly, disgust clear on his face. "Until they had all their humanity taken away. It's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body, with a heart of steel, all emotions removed."

At the Doctor’s words, the President glanced over at him, silently wondering how the server would know so much.

“Why no emotions?” Rose asked quietly.

“Because emotions are painful.” Seren said quietly, her voice filled with pain. Adam tightened his hold on her and Siwan took her free hand, holding tightly.

"I demand to know, Lumic. These people, who were they?" The President demanded again, his voice growing louder with anger.

 _“They were homeless and wretched and useless, until I saved them, and elevated them, and gave them life eternal.”_ Lumic said.  _“And now I leave you in their capable hands. Goodnight, sir. Goodnight, Mr. President.”_

Lumic ended the call and a Cyberman stepped forward, stopping in front of the President.

“We have been upgraded.” The Cyberman said in a mechanical voice.

“Into what?” The Doctor asked, a fierce expression on his face.

"The next level of mankind.” The Cyberman replied. “We are Human 0.2. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade, you will become like us."

“I'm sorry.” The President said sadly to the Cyberman. “I'm so sorry for what's been done to you, but listen to me… This experiment ends! Tonight.”

"Upgrading is compulsory." The Cyberman said.

"And if I refuse?" The President asked, a note of challenge in his voice.

“Don’t.” The Doctor warned.

“What if I refuse?” The President asked, ignoring the Doctor whom he believed was just a server.

“I’m telling you, don’t.” The Doctor said earnestly, taking a step forward.

“Mr. President, please, listen to him.” Seren pleaded, stepping forward as well and looking pleadingly up at the older man.

“What happens if I refuse?” The President asked, barely sparing the Doctor and Seren a second glance.

"Then you are not compatible." The Cyberman said.

"What happens then?" The President asked.

"You will be deleted." The Cyberman said.

Without warning, the Cyberman reached out and grasped the President by the neck, his eyes widening in shock. He was electrocuted to death by the Cyberman and the crowd was silent for a heartbeat before erupting in screams of terror. The room erupted into chaos as crowd scattered, running in every direction and frantically trying to get away. Some were lucky and were able to get away, others were electrocuted to death like the President.

In the din of the chaos, Adam grabbed Siwan and Seren’s hands and pulled them out of the drawing room behind the Doctor and Rose. Pete, seeing Adam take the twins and JJ out of the room, focused on trying to find Jackie.

“There’s nothing we can do!” The Doctor yelled.

The Doctor took Rose’s hand and pulled her out of the house through one of the broken windows with Adam, Siwan and Seren (with JJ held tightly in her arms) right behind them.

“Aunt Jackie and Uncle Pete are in there!” Seren cried, glancing back at the house as they ran across the grounds.

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do!” The Doctor said apologetically, speaking loudly so as to be heard over their own pounding hearts.

“You won’t be any use to them if you get killed!” Adam added, speaking just as loudly.

The Doctor grabbed one of Seren’s hands with his free hand and they ran up the slope only to skid to a stop when they saw a row of Cybermen approaching them. They quickly spun around and ran back down the slope around the side of the house just as Pete leapt out of a broken window.

"Quick!" Rose shouted, spotting him. "Quick!"

“Uncle Pete, come on!” Siwan yelled.

Pete ran behind them, following them around to the front of the house.

“Pete, twins, is there a way out?” The Doctor called, looking around.

“The side gates!” Siwan yelled, pointing in the direction they needed to go.

Pete led them towards the side gates, holding Seren’s hand while the Doctor held Rose’s and Adam held Siwan’s.

“Who are you? How do you know so much?” Pete asked the Doctor, remembering his words from the drawing room when the President was talking to the Cyberman.

“You wouldn't believe it in a million years!” The Doctor replied, all of them skidding to a stop when they saw more Cybermen marching towards them, cutting off their route to the side gates.

They spun around and ran back the way they came, the Cybermen behind them.

“How do they know so much about the house?” Adam asked, realizing the strategic manner they were being cut off from the exits by the Cybermen.

“I don’t know, but it’s something I am going to be investigating.” Siwan swore firmly, not at all pleased about her home and sanctuary being violated. “Assuming we get out of this mess.”

In the distance, two armed figures came running across the lawn towards them, the floodlights obscuring their features.

“Who’s that?” Rose shouted breathlessly.

"Get behind me!" Ricky shouted as he and Jake fell to a kneel.

The Doctor, Rose, Pete, Seren with JJ held tightly in her arms, Adam and Siwan ran behind them as they fired their guns at the Cybermen who stopped marching. Unfortunately, the bullets didn’t affect the Cybermen, only ricocheting off the metal plating.

The two men rose to their feet when the Cybermen stopped and Rose turned to Ricky.

“Oh, my God, look at you!” Rose breathed, fussing with his coat and pulling him into a tight hug. Ricky looked over her shoulder at a snickering Seren with a look of complete bewilderment, not having any idea who the blonde girl was. Ricky was also wondering how Seren had changed so quickly when he had just seen her at the van with his duplicate and Mrs. Moore. “I thought I would never see you again!”

"Yeah, no offence, sweetheart, but who the hell are you?" Ricky asked, pulling away from Rose and stepping away from her. He turned to Seren, "And how did you get here so quickly and change?"

“Rose! Doctor!” Seren Jones and Mickey yelled in unison, running across the lawn towards them.

Pete, Adam, Seren Smith, Siwan and Adam stared at the recently arrived Seren Jones while Ricky and Jake stared between the two versions of Seren.

"That's not me. That's like...the other one." Mickey said panting, gesturing to Ricky.

“Oh, as if things weren't bad enough, there's two Mickey's!” The Doctor whined.

Seren Jones rolled her eyes at his antics and hugged him tightly before letting go.

“It’s Ricky.” Ricky told the Doctor with a scowl.

“But there’s more of them.” Mickey said, nodding at the Cybermen.

“They’re Cybermen, right?” Seren Jones asked in clarification, remembering what he had told her about them following their trip to Utah, 2012.

“Yeah.” The Doctor said with a nod, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

They looked around in fear, staying close to each other as the Cybermen marched around them. Adam held Siwan close in his arms while Pete held Seren Smith and JJ in the same manner.

“We’re surrounded.” Rose breathed, fear in her voice as she took Mickey’s hand and held tightly.

Ricky raised his gun, ready to fire once again.

“Put the guns down, bullets won't stop them.” The Doctor said, seeing the gun raised. Jake, ignoring him, fired his gun rapidly. The Doctor angrily pushed the gun to the ground, stopping Jake from firing any more bullets. “No! Stop shooting, now!” The two straightened up and the Doctor turned to the Cybermen. “We surrender! Hands up!” He raised his hands and gestured for the rest of the group to do the same. Everyone raised both hands while Seren Smith raised one, the other wrapped around a whimpering JJ. The Cybermen marched towards them. “There's no need to damage us. We're good stock. We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed.”

“Upgrade? Processed?” Seren Jones repeated, glaring up at him.

“Volunteer?” Seren Smith and Siwan repeated incredulously in unison.

“Just go with it.” The Doctor said out of the corner of his mouth.

Seren Jones sighed and the three identical women fell silent.

“You are rogue elements.” A Cyberman said.

"But we surrender." The Doctor said in protest.

"You are incompatible."

"But this is a surrender!"

"You will be deleted."

"But we're surrendering! Listen to me, we surrender!"

"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cybermen, but you will perish under maximum deletion."

The Cyberman raised its arm, reaching out towards the Doctor, the action copied by the rest of the Cybermen who reached out to the rest of the group. They all watched in terror, inching closer to each other.

"Delete! Delete! Delete!" The Cybermen chanted in unison.

_Links:_

_*Seren outfit (light brown top, dark blue dark wash jeans, light brown patterned pumps and light brown purse) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479840086/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479840086/)

_*Seren hairstyle -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479520717/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479520717/)

_*Parallel Seren outfit -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469180692/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469180692/)

_*Parallel Seren wedding rings -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879476907091/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879476907091/)

_*Parallel Seren hairstyle -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477812613/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477812613/)

_*Parallel Siwan outfit -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478495588/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478495588/)

_*Parallel Siwan hairstyle -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477593446/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477593446/)

_*Parallel Siwan engagement ring -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477798728/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477798728/)

At the party

 _*Parallel Seren saree (pink, purple and silver – no peacock design) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478970107/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478970107/)

_*Parallel Seren jewelry -_  [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478970209/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478970209/)

 _*Parallel Seren bangles -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479625794/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479625794/)

_*Parallel Seren hairstyle and hair comb -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/414894184407897542/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/414894184407897542/)

_*Parallel Seren shoes -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879473591630/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879473591630/)

_*Parallel Seren makeup -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477990657/>_

_*JJ suit (black waistcoat and trouser suit with a purple tie matching Seren’s saree) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879474627765/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879474627765/)

_*Parallel Siwan lehenga -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479514146/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479514146/)

_*Parallel Siwan bangles -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479626054/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479626054/)

_*Parallel Siwan earrings (silver and red) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478522264/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478522264/)

_*Parallel Siwan hairstyle and hair comb -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479848001/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479848001/)

_*Parallel Siwan shoes (silver) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475410476/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475410476/)

_*Parallel Siwan makeup -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479241067/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479241067/)

_*Adam outfit -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/809522101741971621/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/809522101741971621/)

_*Adam Rolex watch -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AZKZIzMD68VZVIpRY8hqzdDJP_JkohY9Ejposc7ch6NhsaHLXgNMrkY/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AZKZIzMD68VZVIpRY8hqzdDJP_JkohY9Ejposc7ch6NhsaHLXgNMrkY/)

 


	8. Age of Steel

_Note: I’m going to be calling Seren Smith ‘Mrs. Smith’, making it easier to differentiate between her and Seren Jones._

** Age of Steel **

"Delete!" The Cybermen chanted, "Delete! Delete!"

The Doctor suddenly aimed his fist, the one holding the recharging TARDIS power cell, at the Cybermen, and shot a concentrated beam of golden light. At the same time, a brilliant gold shimmer appeared along Seren’s veins and arteries beneath her snow-white skin. A similarly brilliant gold rim appeared around her purple eyes as well.

The beam hit the Cyberman in front, in the chest plate, before bouncing off and hitting the others one after another and disintegrating them all.

“What the hell was that?” Ricky asked with wide eyes, looking between a lightly shimmering Seren, the Doctor’s curled fist and the spot where the Cybermen had been.

Another group of Cybermen marched towards them in the distance.

“Or, how about instead, run!” The Doctor yelled, grabbing Seren’s hand and running across the lawn.

Mrs. Moore drove up the driveway and sounded the horn, drawing their attention.

“Everybody, in!” She yelled.

Everyone ran to the van except Pete, who began running towards the house. Siwan and Mrs. Smith, with JJ in her arms, made to run towards the house as well but where forcibly tugged towards the van by Adam and Ricky respectively.

The Doctor grabbed Pete by the shoulder and managed to stop him from going any further than the front wall.

“I’ve gotta go back!” Pete pleaded, turning to look at the man restraining him. “My wife’s in there!”

“Anyone inside that house is dead.” The Doctor said, firm yet gentle and holding the blond man tightly. “If you wanna help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've got to come with us right now.”

“Uncle Pete, we’ve gotta go!” Mrs. Smith called pleadingly from the van, JJ clinging to her chest.

“Please, come on!” Seren said, looking at him with the same eyes as his own Seren, except with a gold rim around the purple iris.

Pete sighed helplessly and ran to the van, climbing in behind his goddaughters and grandson. The Doctor and Seren turned and saw Rose staring at the house.

“Rose, that isn’t our Jackie.” Seren said quietly.

“I know.” Rose said.

She turned and ran to the van, the Doctor and Seren behind her.

“Finished chatting? Never seen a slower getaway in my life!” Mrs. Moore yelled as the Doctor climbed into the van behind Seren and Rose, slamming the door shut behind him.

Mrs. Moore revved the engine and they drove off, speeding down the driveway and onto the dark roads. As she drove, everyone caught their breaths and calmed down from the adrenalin rush, Mrs. Smith softly comforting a whimpering JJ.

“Shh, it’s okay,  _baban._ It’s okay.” Mrs. Smith said soothingly, rubbing the baby’s back.

Ricky turned and faced them all, crowded in the back while he, Jake and Mrs. Moore sat in the front with the blonde woman driving.

“What was that thing?” Ricky asked through the grilling dividing them, pointing at the power cell that the Doctor had in his hand.

“Little bit of technology from my home.” The Doctor replied, pocketing the power cell.

“It stopped glowing. Has it run out?” Mickey asked in concern, noticing that it wasn’t glowing just before it was tucked out of sight.

“Seren stopped shimmering as well.” Rose added, the Welshwoman’s shimmer having faded when the power cell stopped glowing.

“The cell is on a revitalizing loop. It’ll charge back up in about four hours.” The Doctor said reassuringly, putting his arm around Seren’s shoulders and smiled slightly when she leaned into the embrace. “Seren’s shimmer will return completely once the cell’s fully charged up, but the eyes will stay purple-gold.”

“So, I might be periodically lighting up like a Christmas tree.” Seren summarized.

“Pretty much.” The Doctor said with a nod.

“Can someone please tell me how there can be two versions of my goddaughter?” Pete asked, looking completely freaked out as he looked between  _his_ Seren sitting next to him and the Seren sitting next to the Doctor.

“Parallel worlds.” Siwan said simply before the Doctor or Seren could reply.

“That’s why there’s two versions of us?” Ricky asked, pointing between himself and Mickey.

“Yup.” Mickey nodded as Siwan handed her dupatta to Mrs. Smith.

“That is freaky.” Jake muttered before looking at Mrs. Smith and Siwan, noting that they didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed by the revelation. Neither was Adam. “How are you not all fazed by this?”

“By what?” Adam asked while Mrs. Smith used Siwan’s dupatta to create a baby sling to carry JJ in.

“This! Parallel versions of yourself!” Jake exclaimed, gesturing to the two versions of Seren sitting across from each other.

“We just escaped a legion of Cybermen that invaded our  _home._ Cybermen who were once ordinary people like us.” Siwan said, looking at Jake as though he had grown an extra head. “The existence of parallel worlds is not very high on the list of things to worry about.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter what Universe we’re in, the Jones sisters are always calm and practical when the world goes to hell around them.” The Doctor said with a grin, looking between the two Seren’s and Siwan.

“You bet.” All three said in unison, resulting in a wave of laughter from everyone.

“Right. So, with that technology recharging, we don’t have a weapon anymore.” Ricky said, causing the laughter to fade.

“Yeah, we've got weapons.” Jake said, making Ricky look at him in confusion. “Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him.”

Jake glared darkly at Pete.

"Leave him alone!" Rose said shrilly. "What's he done wrong?"

“Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government and left Lumic in charge.” Jake snapped back.

“If I was part of all that, do you think I’d leave my wife inside?” Pete asked him.

“Maybe your plan went wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though.” Ricky said.

Siwan leaned forward and smacked the grilling where Ricky was pressing his face against, managing to hit the Londoner in the nose.

“Ow!” He cried as he pulled back, his hands flying to his nose. It wasn’t broken, though she did cause it to hurt. “What was that for?!”

“Don’t you dare say that to my godfather!” Siwan hissed, glaring at him fiercely. “That was my godmother in there, you bastard.”

“I swear to the Gods, if you lay a finger on him, I will tear you to pieces with my bare hands.” Mrs. Smith hissed, glaring at Ricky just as fiercely as her twin, her arms around JJ who was watching with wide eyes.

“Seren, Siwan, you will do no such thing.” Pete said firmly, looking at the twins before turning to the parallel version of his goddaughter sitting across from him. “The same goes for you as well.”

“You can’t let him talk to you like that!” Seren exclaimed.

“She’s right, Uncle Pete!” Mrs. Smith and Siwan cried in unison.

“It’ll be all right, my Little Star, my Little Bird.” Pete said with a gentle smile, reaching out and patting both his goddaughter’s hands gently.

Seren bit her lip when she heard the nickname that Pete called  _his_ Seren. The Doctor tightened his arms around her reassuringly and she relaxed in the warmth of his arms.

“All the same, we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since 20.5.” Ricky said, once more glaring at Pete, though he stayed far enough away from the grilling so that he couldn’t get hit by any of the Jones girls, regardless of which Universe they were from.

Seren and Rose looked at Pete, completely taken aback at the news. Seren absently noticed that Mrs. Smith, Siwan and Adam didn’t seem surprised by the news, making her believe that something was going on.

“Is that true?” Rose asked quietly, looking at Pete with an almost heartbroken expression.

Pete looked away from Rose, uncomfortable when faced with the expressive hazel eyes.

“Tell ‘em, Mrs. M.” Ricky said.

“We've got a government mole who feeds us information. Lumic's private files, his South American operations, the lot.” Mrs. Moore said, speaking over her shoulder while she focused on driving. “Secret broadcasts twice a week.”

“Broadcasts from Gemini?” Pete asked, a frown on his face.

Mrs. Smith, Adam and Siwan frowned as well, looking at Ricky, Jake and Mrs. Moore.

“And how do you know that?” Ricky asked with a sneer.

“Uncle Pete’s Gemini!” Siwan said, the statement punctuated by nods from Pete, Adam and Mrs. Smith.

“That’s  _me_!” Pete exclaimed, anger and pain clear on his face.

“Yeah, well you would say that.” Ricky said with a shrug.

Anger and pain was also etched on Mrs. Smith’s features as she preoccupied herself with JJ, rubbing his back when he began whimpering at the heightened emotions in the small space.

“Encrypted wavelength 657 using binary 9.” Pete said, wrapping his arm around Mrs. Smith comfortingly. “That's the only reason I was working for Lumic. To get information.”

“Mrs. Smith? You okay?”  Seren asked, noticing the pain on her parallel counterpart’s face.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Mrs. Smith said with a nod. She turned to Ricky, her pain clear on her face. “Ricky, John used to be Gemini before he died. After the accident that killed him and James, which wasn’t an accident by the way, Uncle Pete took up the mantle and continued feeding the broadcasts. A way to honor John's memory”

“What do you mean John and Dr. McCrimmon weren’t killed in an accident?” Ricky asked, looking at Mrs. Smith with wide eyes.

“The accident was caused by Lumic.” Adam said quietly, holding Siwan close. “Lumic realized that John was getting too close to discovering what he was up to and had him killed.”

“It had to look like an accident, so they rigged his lab.” Mrs. Smith said quietly, her voice filled with pain and her eyes far away in the past. “Unfortunately, James got caught in the blast as well while he and John were trying to save the technicians.” She smiled softly, sadly, as she played with JJ’s hair, the little boy basking in his mother’s warmth and love. “The one thing that makes it easier is that he managed to save them, he didn’t die for nothing.”

“Though we thought we were broadcasting to the Security Services.” Adam commented, bringing Mrs. Smith out from her memories and back to the present.

“Instead, what do we get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van!” Pete said sarcastically.

“No, no, no. But the Preacher’s know what they’re doing.” Mickey said, his eyes wide at the news he had just learned about his best friend’s counterpart. “Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted.”

Ricky shifted uncomfortably while the twins raised their eyebrows incredulously at Mickey’s words.

“Yeah, that’s not exactly…” Ricky started before trailing off, looking embarrassed.

“Not exactly what?” Mickey asked, looking at his parallel counterpart.

“Honey, he’s London’s Most Wanted for parking tickets.” Siwan said snickering before it went to full-blown laughter.

“Oh, great.” Pete groaned, resting his head back against the side of the van in exasperation.

Mrs. Smith and Adam burst into peals of laughter as well, JJ joining in though he didn’t know why everyone was laughing. The Doctor looked at Ricky with an amused expression on his face while Seren looked completely irritated.

“Parking tickets?!” Seren exclaimed in irritation. “I freaked out over parking tickets?!”

“Yup.” Jake chirped, popping the ‘p’.

"They were deliberate!” Ricky said defensively as Mrs. Smith, Adam and Siwan slowly stopped laughing, JJ following suit. “I was fighting the system! Park anywhere, that's me."

"Good policy, though." Seren commented, her irritation fading. She nodded at the Doctor beside her, "He does the same."

“I’m the Doctor, by the way, if anyone’s interested.” The Doctor said with a smile on his face, obviously enjoying the moment.

“And I’m Rose.” Rose said with a wave and a small smile. “Hello!”

When Rose said her name, JJ raised his head from Mrs. Smith’s chest and looked around curiously.

“Even better. That's the name of my dog.” Pete said sarcastically. “Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side. Sort of.” He looked at Seren and smiled slightly. “And a parallel version of my goddaughter.”

Seren smiled back though a pang shot through her heart with the realization that Rose wouldn’t even get that acknowledgment from the man – she was just a stranger to him, with the only connection being that she shared a name with his dog.

“Uppy!” JJ said, looking around and wondering where the dog was.

“No,  _Cariad,_ not ‘puppy’, ‘girl’.” Mrs. Smith corrected as Adam, Pete and Siwan snorted in amusement. “Rose is a girl, not a puppy.”

“Uppy!” JJ repeated firmly, still trying to find his canine friend.

The Doctor tried to hold back his laughter, particularly at the affronted expression on Rose’s face, but he failed spectacularly. He burst out laughing, the sound echoed by Adam, Siwan and Pete with Ricky and Jake chuckling in amusement.

“Puppy’s not here.” Mrs. Smith said finally, realizing that she was fighting a losing battle.

JJ pouted at the news and settled back against his mother’s chest, letting out a tired yawn as the laughter faded.

“I knew you weren’t a traitor.” Rose said quietly, looking at Pete.

“Why’s that, then?” Adam asked, looking at the blonde suspiciously.

“I just did.” Rose said with a shrug as Seren shot her a warning look.

“They took my wife.” Pete said helplessly.

“She might still be alive.” Seren said optimistically, trying to give them some hope.

“That’s even worse.” Siwan said helplessly.

“That’s what Lumic does.” Pete said with a despondent sigh. “He takes the living… and he turns them into those machines.”

“Cybermen.” The Doctor said darkly, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “They’re called Cybermen. And I’d take those Ear Pods off if I were you.” He nodded to the Ear Pods Mrs. Smith, Siwan, Adam and Pete were wearing. They hurriedly obliged and handed them over to the Doctor and Seren. “You never know, Lumic could be listening.”

The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and used it on the Ear Pods, disabling them.

“But he’s overreached himself.” Seren said, holding the Ear Pods while the Doctor disabled them one pair at a time. “He’s still a businessman and he just assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the city and inform the authorities.”

“I promise you, this ends. Tonight.” The Doctor said, the power of the Oncoming Storm swirling behind his brown orbs.

Before anyone could say anything else, Mrs. Moore stopped the van suddenly with a jerk.

“Sorry!” Mrs. Moore called. “I can’t go any further. The roads are packed with people.”

“What?” The Doctor asked with a frown.

“Why?” Adam asked. “You would think that the alert had gone out for people to stay  _inside,_ not wander around the city."

“They seem to be going in one direction.” Ricky said, having turned around to look out the front windows when they stopped.

“We should check it out.” Seren said.

There were nods all around and once Mrs. Moore parked the van properly, everyone got out. Mrs. Smith put JJ in the makeshift sling with him facing her, wrapping her arms around his back comfortingly.

They walked around the side of the van and along the street where, sure enough, the people were marching dazedly in the same direction.

“What the hell…” Jake breathed, walking between the dazed crowds.

“What’s going on?” Rose asked.

“It’s the Ear Pods.” Seren said in horrified realization, seeing the blinking blue light on each set of Pods that the people were wearing. “Lumic’s taken control.”

“Can’t we just... I dunno, take them off?” Rose asked, reaching up to one man to take the Ear Pod out.

“Don’t!” Seren exclaimed, grabbing Rose’s hands and tugging her away from the man just before she could touch the Ear Pod. “It’ll cause a brainstorm.”

“Human Race.” The Doctor said, shaking his head and looking around. “For such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit! Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life.”

Seren rolled her eyes in exasperation at the Time Lord’s snark.

“Hey!” Jake called in a loud whisper. “Come and see.”

Jake waved them all over to where he and Ricky were crouched, peeing around a corner and looking at the street on the other end of the alley. They quickly joined the two and peered around the corner as well to see what had caught Jake and Ricky’s attention.

A row of Cybermen were marching on the other side of the alley alongside more dazed people, all going in the same direction.

“Where are they going?” Rose asked quietly.

“Lumic must have a base of operation nearby.” Seren said thoughtfully. “Right?”

“Battersea.” Siwan said in confirmation.

“That’s where he’s building his prototypes.” Pete added in explanation.

“Why’s he doing this?” Seren asked, sorrow in her voice for all the people that had died already.

“He’s dying.” Adam replied as the Doctor put a comforting arm around Seren’s shoulders.

“All this started out as a way of keeping the brain alive.” Mrs. Smith said, her arms wrapped tightly around JJ. The baby had buried his face in her chest, quiet whimpers escaping his lips.

“At any cost.” Pete added.

“Earlier, you mentioned Cybermen like you knew them.” Mickey said, looking at Seren. “How?”

“Van Staten’s museum.” Seren replied. “In Utah. There had been a Cyberman head on display.”

“Creepy.” Siwan muttered.

“You told me that they started out on an ordinary world, just like this one and then swarmed the galaxy.” Seren said, looking at the Doctor.

“Yeah, that’s how the Cybermen in our universe came to be.” The Doctor said with a nod. “This lot are a parallel version, and they’re starting from scratch right here on Earth.”

“Never mind the history, we need to get out of the city.” Ricky said. They straightened from their crouches and looked down the street, seeing Cybermen fast approaching their location from down the street.

“We should split up.” Seren suggested. “It might make it easier to get by unnoticed.”

“Good idea.” Ricky said. “Mrs. Moore, you look after  _that_ bloke.” He nodded to Pete who rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Jake, distract them. Go right, I'll go left. We'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move!”

Ricky and Jake ran off, going in opposite directions. Mickey turned to Seren and Rose.

“I’m going with him.” Mickey said.

“What?!” Seren exclaimed, staring at her best friend as though he had lost his mind.

Mickey didn’t respond, only pecking her and Rose on the cheeks before running off after Ricky.

“Come on! Let’s go!” Mrs. Moore said, jogging Seren out of her shock.

The blonde woman led her group down the street with the Cybermen patrol marching behind them. Without breaking his stride, the Doctor reached out and grabbed Seren’s hand, intertwining their fingers while Adam did the same with Siwan. Pete wrapped his arm around Mrs. Smith, the widow having both her arms wrapped around her whimpering and frightened baby.

“There!” The Doctor yelled, pointing to a side street.

They ran down the side street and stopped behind a pile of rubbish bins and dustbins, crouching low to avoid being seen. The Cybermen followed them, the sound of their footsteps drowning out the sounds of JJ’s whimpers.

They held their breaths, Rose clutching Pete’s free hand with his other wrapped around Mrs. Smith’s shoulders. Seren looked at the Doctor and reached into his jacket pocket, withdrawing the sonic screwdriver. At his questioning look, she held it up and nodded to it before pointing at the Cybermen.

‘Brilliant!’ He mouthed, a bright grin on his face as he took the screwdriver from her.

He switched it on and pointed it at the Cybermen, making it beep once before it transmitted a signal, the tip glowing blue. The Cybermen turned and marched on, heading away from the group hiding behind the bins. Rose let go of Pete’s hand and stood up, the man looking at completely bewildered at her behavior.

Pete wasn’t the only one confused, Mrs. Smith, Siwan and Adam were also wondering why Rose was behaving so familiarly with Pete. The blonde girl was behaving in a manner similar to the twins, like she was Pete’s child.

Pete, Mrs. Smith, Siwan and Adam shrugged off their confusion as they stood up. Now was not the time to wonder about the girl’s behavior – they had other things to worry about. They all peered over the bins and watched warily as the Cybermen marched out of sight.

“Go.” The Doctor whispered once the Cybermen were out of sight.

The Time Lord led them out from around the dustbins and back down the alley. Mrs. Moore took over once they were out of the alley, leading the group to Bridge Street where they would meet up with Ricky, Mickey and Jake.

They had just reached the rendezvous point and stopped to catch their breath when Seren, Mrs. Smith and Siwan gasped in pain and grabbed the Doctor, Pete and Adam’s hands respectively. The three women squeezed the hands tightly and bit their lips to keep from screaming, the men wincing at the tight grips while JJ cried loudly in fear.

“What happened?” Rose asked loudly, so she could be heard over JJ’s crying.

“I don’t know.” The Doctor said, wincing when Seren squeezed his hand tightly.

Slowly, the three Welshwomen loosened their grips on the men’s hands, though they didn’t let go.

“Girls, what happened?” Pete asked, worry etched on his face while Mrs. Smith used her free hand to rub JJ’s back.

Before any of the three could respond, Jake ran up to them.

“I ran past the river, you should have seen it.” Jake said, barely pausing to catch his breath. “The whole city's on the march. Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames.”

Mickey appeared from around the corner and ran up to them, breathing heavily. When Seren, Siwan and Mrs. Smith saw him, a few tears fell from their jewel-colored eyes, realizing what Mickey being alone meant. The Doctor, seeing the tears in Seren’s eyes, realized the same thing and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him and holding her tightly.

“Here he is!” Jake said with a grin, believing him to be Ricky. His grin faded into a frown when he looked behind Mickey and saw that there was only one of them. “Which one are you?”

“I’m sorry.” Mickey breathed. “The Cybermen... He couldn’t…”

"Are you Ricky?” Jake asked frantically, fear in his eyes. “ARE YOU RICKY?"

Mickey stayed silent, unable to respond.

“Ricky’s gone.” Siwan said quietly. “He’s who we felt die.”

Mickey nodded sadly, swallowing hard. Rose and Seren ran up to him and hugged him tightly, holding each other in a three-way hug. Both women were sad that Ricky was gone but glad that they hadn’t lost Mickey as well.

Jake was silent, the tears and heartbreak clear in his blue eyes. Siwan went to him and hugged him tightly, knowing how he felt about Ricky.

“He tried.” Mickey said softly, letting go of Rose and Seren and looking at Jake. “He was running. There was too many of them.”

“Shut it.” Jake said quietly, separating from Siwan and turning his back to the Londoner that wore the same face as the man he loved.

“There was nothing I could do.” Mickey said, trying to explain to the heartbroken man.

“I said just shut it!” Ricky yelled, whirling around and glaring at Mickey with tears shinning in his eyes. “Don't even talk about him. You're nothing, you are. Nothing!”

Jake turned away, his hands curled into tight fists. Siwan wrapped her arms around him again and held him tightly. Slowly, he hugged her back, his shoulders shaking with his sobs.

“Jake’s been in love with Ricky for ages.” Mrs. Moore said quietly, giving Mickey some context to the blond man’s reaction. “He just never told him.”

“Oh _Duw._ ” Seren breathed, her eyes wide with sympathy and sorrow.

Mickey looked to the ground, biting back his tears and sniffling quietly.

“We can mourn him when London is safe.” The Doctor said calmly, looking at the group. “But right now, we move on.”

Each person nodded miserably before they headed off. Pete took the lead with his arm around Mrs. Smith, taking them to the waste ground opposite the Battersea Power Station, Lumic’s closest base of operations.

They all walked the few miles in silence, the only sound being made was their footsteps and the jewelry worn by Siwan and Mrs. Smith. Even JJ was silent, able to sense that something terrible had happened. In the lead was Pete with his arm around Mrs. Smith’s shoulders while she had her own arms wrapped around JJ, who was watching everything with wide, fearful eyes. Behind them was Siwan who held Jake’s hand comfortingly, Adam on her other side with his arm around her shoulders. The Doctor had his arm around Seren’s shoulders while Mickey had a firm hold on Rose’s hand beside them. Bringing up the rear was Mrs. Moore, keeping a watch to make sure they weren’t being followed.

Reaching the waste ground, they walked up the slope and looked out at the Power Station, a massive zeppelin hovering above the building with plumes of smoke billowing out of the chimney on either side of it.

“The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place. To be converted.” The Doctor said, nodding to the Power Station.

“We’ve got to get in there and shut it down.” Rose said.

“ _How_ do we do that?” Mickey asked, not arguing that it was what needed to be done.

“Oh, I'll think of something.” The Doctor said breezily.

“You’re just making this up as you go along!” Mickey said indignantly.

“Yes, he is.” Seren said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose tiredly.

“But I do it brilliantly.” The Doctor said, a manic grin on his face.

Seren giggled while Rose and Mickey nodded in agreement – the Time Lord always did manage to pull a brilliant plan out of thin air when it was needed most.

Mrs. Moore sat down at a nearby picnic table and pulled out her Cybus Industries laptop, keeping it on her lap while she worked. The rest of them looked over her shoulder.

“That's a schematic of the old factory.” Mrs. Moore said, pulling up a graphic 3-D model of the schematics. “Look, cooling tunnels underneath the plant, big enough to walk through.”

Jake stood a short distance away, listening with half an ear.

“We go under there and up into the control centre.” The Doctor summarized, putting on his glasses and peering at the screen.

Mrs. Moore nodded in response.

“There’s another way in.” Pete said, making everyone look at him. “Through the front door.”

“Uncle Pete’s right.” Mrs. Smith said. “If they’ve taken Aunt Jackie for upgrading, that’s how she’ll get in.”

“We can’t just go strolling up.” Jake said, walking over to the group.

“Or we could, with these.” Mrs. Moore said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a pair of Ear Pods. The Doctor picked one of the Pods up and looked at it. “Fake Ear Pods. Dead, no signal.”

“But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd.” Adam said in realization.

“Then that’s my job.” Pete said firmly.

“You'd have to show  _no_ emotion. None at all.  _Any_ sign of emotion would give you away.” The Doctor cautioned Pete, who nodded in understanding.

“How many of those you got?” Rose asked Mrs. Moore, gesturing to the Ear Pods.

“Just two sets.” Mrs. Moore replied.

“Okay. If that's the best way of finding Jackie, then I'm coming with you.” Rose said before anyone else could say anything, moving to stand next to Pete.

“Why does she matter to you?” Pete asked, looking at Rose in confusion.

Siwan and Mrs. Smith looked at Rose as well, wondering the same thing.

“We haven’t got time.” Rose said to him before looking at the Doctor and Seren. “Seren, I’m going with him and that’s that.”

“There’s no stopping you is there?” The Doctor asked looking at her.

“No.” Rose replied firmly, shaking her head.

Seren sighed while the Doctor nodded in understanding and tossed her the Ear Pods he was holding. Mrs. Moore handed Pete the second pair.

“We can attack the Ear Pods at the same time.” Seren said thoughtfully. “Give the people their minds back so they won’t walk into that place willingly.”

“Jakey boy, Adam…” The Doctor said, catching the blond man’s attention and leading him and Adam to the top of the hill to give them a better look at the Power Station. “Lumic's transmitting the control signal. It must be from over there.” He took out the screwdriver and waved it in the direction of the Station, the circle of red lights on the zeppelin’s stern blinking in response. “There it is. On the zeppelin, you see? Great big transmitter. Good thing Lumic likes showing off. Reckon you two could take it out?”

“Consider it done.” Jake said with a grin, Adam nodding in agreement, as the Doctor pocketed the screwdriver again.

The Doctor patted Jake on the shoulder and rejoined the rest of the group, with the blond and Adam behind him.

“Mrs. Moore, Siwan…” The Doctor said with a grin. “Would you care to accompany Seren and I into the cooling tunnels?”

Siwan and Mrs. Moore exchanged looks before looking back at the Time Lord.

“How could we refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?” Mrs. Moore questioned with a grin.

“Absolutely.” Siwan said with a laugh, moving to stand next to Seren.

"We attack on three sides, above, between, below.” The Doctor said, pulling off his glasses and all traces of humor gone from his voice and face. “We get to the control center, we stop the conversion machines."

“What about me?” Mickey asked, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“And me?” Mrs. Smith asked, the dupatta that she had been using as a sling now being used to protect JJ from the mild night-time chill.

“Seren, you’re staying put.” Pete said firmly. “You’ve got to look after JJ.” He moved towards her and put his hands on her shoulders, bending so he could look into her amethyst eyes. “Siwan’s already putting herself in danger, as is Adam. I don’t know what I would do if I had to face the possibility of losing you and JJ as well. So please, stay safe.”

“Okay.” Mrs. Smith said quietly, nodding. “But you must promise to come back.” She looked at Adam and Siwan with tears shinning in her eyes. “Please, come back.”

Pete, Adam and Siwan nodded, wrapping each other in a tight group hug.

“Mickey, you are with Jake and Adam.” Seren said, walking over to him and putting a hand on his arm.

Pete, Siwan, Adam and Mrs. Smith broke apart from their hug and looked at Seren.

“No, he isn’t.” Jake said, glaring at Seren.

“Yes, he is.” Seren said with a glare of her own, using a tone that had Siwan, Adam and Rose gulping loudly. “You may need his help with the transmitter.”

“I don’t need you, idiot.” Jake hissed, rounding on Mickey.

“I’m not an idiot! You got that?” Mickey said loudly, standing up for himself. He took a breath before saying in a much calmer tone, “I’m offering to help.”

“We could use his help.” Adam told Jake.

“Whatever.” Jake said, walking away.

“Mickey?” Seren called, going up to him. “Good luck and be careful.”

“You too.” Mickey said softly.

Rose joined them and the three of them hugged tightly while Adam and Siwan kissed each other deeply.

“If we survive this, we’ll meet back at the TARDIS.” The Doctor said, looking at Rose and Mickey.

“That’s a promise.” Mickey said before turning and hurrying after Jake, Adam beside him.

Seren hugged Rose one more time while Siwan and Pete hugged Mrs. Smith and kissed JJ before they all split up. Pete and Rose headed towards the main entrance of the Power Station while Seren, Siwan, the Doctor and Mrs. Moore headed towards the entrance to the cooling tunnels.

Mrs. Smith watched them go, her arms around her son, praying to all that Gods she believed in for them _all_ to return safely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Doctor pried open one of the trapdoors that led to the cooling tunnels. Mrs. Moore slowly descended the ladder with Siwan behind her followed by Seren and then the Doctor.

“It’s freezing.” Mrs. Moore commented.

“Tell me about it.” Siwan said, rubbing her bare arms.

“Any sign of a light switch?” Seren asked, looking down the dark tunnel.

The only source of light was the shaft of moonlight that came through the trapdoor entrance. And that didn’t cover much aside from a few feet around them.

“Can't see a thing.” Mrs. Moore said with a laugh, rummaging through her bag. “But I've got these. A device for every occasion.”

She pulled out a miner’s headband light and handed one to the Doctor.

“Oooh.” The Doctor said with a grin, taking it.

“Put it on.” Mrs. Moore said, withdrawing two more which she handed to Seren and Siwan.

The two women took theirs on while Mrs. Moore pulled out another one for herself.

“Haven’t got a hot dog in there, have you?’ The Doctor asked, eyeing the bag. “I’m starving.”

“Me, too.” Siwan said as they put the headband lights on and switched on the lights.

Mrs. Moore looked at her companions to see Seren looking at the Doctor and Siwan as if they were crazy.

“What?” Siwan asked, seeing the look on her twin’s counterpart’s face. “I’ve only had finger food all evening. I could kill for a hot dog.”

“Of all the things to wish for!” Mrs. Moore said with a laugh, adjusting the light on her forehead. “That’s mechanically recovered meat.”

"I know. It's the Cyberman of food, but it's tasty!" The Doctor said, a wide grin on his face.

“Definitely.” Siwan said in agreement as Mrs. Moore rummaged though her bag once more.

The blonde woman shook her head and withdrew hand torches, handing one to the Doctor, Seren and Siwan each.

“A proper torch as well.” She said, pulling one out for herself.

“Let’s see where we are.” The Doctor said, turning the torch on and taking a few steps forward.

The beam of light from his torch fell on a Cyberman and Seren gasped. The Doctor reached out and took her hand with his free on, holding it tightly and reassuringly. He used the torch and shine the light further down the tunnel, revealing a line of Cybermen on either side of them. Seren reached out and tapped a Cyberman on the face, receiving no reaction

“Already converted, just put on ice.” The Doctor said quietly. “Come on.”

He walked forward with Seren beside him, Mrs. Moore and Siwan behind him.

“Let’s go slowly.” Siwan suggested, a hand on Seren’s shoulder - so they wouldn’t be separated and also for the purpose of having tactile comfort from her twin (even if it was a parallel version). “Keep an eye out for trip systems.”

The other three voiced their agreement and they walked in silence, their senses on high alert.

“How did you get into this, then? Rattling along with the Preachers?” The Doctor asked after a few minutes, breaking the silence.

“Oh, I used to be ordinary!” Mrs. Moore said with a sigh, her voice reminiscent of times past. “Worked at Cybus Industries, 9 to 5. ’Till one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. A life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techie, so I-I just sat down and taught myself everything.”

“What about  _Mr._ Moore?” Siwan asked curiously.

“Well, he's not called  _‘Moore’._ ” Mrs. Moore said with a smile. “I got that from a book,  _‘Mrs. Moore’._ It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids. What about you two?” She looked at the Doctor and Seren. “Got any family, or is it just the two of you?”

“We’ve got my sisters, brother-in-law, nieces, nephews, god-sister, godmother, Mickey.” Seren said with a smile.

“And the whole world on our shoulders.” The Doctor added with a grin, squeezing Seren’s hand.

“A parallel version of me and… Rhiannon?” Siwan asked with a thoughtful frown.

“Yeah.” Seren said, nodding. “Rhi’s got two kids, Mica and David. Our Siwan is dating Adam.”

“Although everyone’s just  _waiting_ for him to propose.” The Doctor added with a smirk.

“And what about Adam’s family?” Siwan asked, an almost hopeful yet fearful tone in her voice. “Duncan McCleod, Amanda Darieux, Joe Dawson?”

“Yeah, they’re all there as well.” Seren said nodding. “Joe’s still doing well despite his advanced age. Though he’s always reminding the others that he’s not as young as them when they start their sparring matches and fights.” She frowned and looked at her sister’s counterpart, noting the hesitant expression on her face. “Are they alive here?”

“No.” Siwan said sadly. “Adam is the last of his family.”

“I’m sorry.” Seren said sympathetically.

“It’s okay, it’s been a few years.” Siwan said reassuringly before turning to Mrs. Moore. “So, what’s your real name?”

Mrs. Moore looked at Siwan for a moment, recognizing the question for what it was – a way to change the subject.

“Angela Price.” The blonde woman said after a moment. “Don’t tell a soul.”

“Not a word.” The Doctor said, a small smile on his face.

They fell silent for a few minutes before it was broken by Mrs. Moore with a gasp.

“Did that one just move?” Mrs. Moore asked, shining her torchlight on one of the Cybermen’s hands.

“It’s just the torchlight.” The Doctor said reassuringly as Seren and Siwan exchanged worried looks. “Keep going, come on.”

Suddenly, the one in front of them moved, turning to face them.

“They’re waking up!” Seren cried in alarm.

“Run!” The Doctor yelled.

He ran down the tunnel, pulling Seren behind him by her hand with Siwan and Mrs. Moore behind them. They ran as fast as they could, barely managing to keep ahead of the awakening Cybermen. They reached the ladder that led into the factory as the Cybermen began marching behind them, fully awakened from their deep-cold freeze.

"Get up!" Mrs. Moore shouted as the Doctor scrambled up the ladder. "Quick! They're coming!" The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver, frantically trying to open the top seal. "Open it! Open it!" He finally managed to open the door, flinging it to the side before scrambling up and moving out of the way. He held his hand down to pull Seren up as Siwan climbed behind her. "Get up!" Seren moved to the side while the Doctor pulled Siwan out. "Quick! Quick!" Mrs. Moore reached out a hand towards the Doctor and he pulled her up, out of the tunnel.

Seren and Siwan pulled Mrs. Moore to the side while the Doctor closed the trapdoor and sealed it shut once more, trapping the Cybermen in the tunnels seconds before they could emerge from the hole.

“Oh, good team!” Siwan exclaimed, a wide grin on her face as they panted for breath.

“And while wearing your engagement dress.” Seren said, gesturing to the still miraculously intact red lehenga and high heels.

“Right, today was your engagement party.” Mrs. Moore said, glancing at Siwan.

“Yup.” Siwan replied, popping the ‘p’. “Definitely not a date anyone’s going to forget.” She paused for a moment before adding quietly, “No matter how much we would want to after all this.”

Seren reached out and squeezed Siwan’s hand comfortingly as they got to their feet. They quickly and carefully made their way through the dark metal corridor. It was silent except for the sound of their footsteps and Siwan’s bangles.

They had been walking for several minutes when a Cyberman suddenly stepped out in front of them, making all four of them jump.

“You are not upgraded.” The Cyberman stated.

“Yeah, well, upgrade this.” Mrs. Moore said with a growl, throwing a small rod with a copper wire wrapped around it at the Cyberman.

The device stuck to the Cyberman’s metal and sparked suddenly. The Cyberman jerked as it was electrocuted, shaking and jerking violently before collapsing to the floor on its back and falling still.

“What the hell was that?” Siwan asked, looking at Mrs. Moore with and impressed expression on her face.

“Electromagnetic bomb.” Mrs. Moore replied proudly, the four of them walking towards the fallen Cyberman. “Takes out computers, I figured it might stop a cyber-suit.”

“You figured right.” Seren said as they knelt beside the Cyberman.

“Now, let’s have a look. Know your enemy. They’ve even got a logo on the front.” The Doctor said, taking out his screwdriver and holding it to the logo chest-plate on the Cyberman’s chest. “Lumic’s turned them into a brand.” He removed the chest-plate and turned it over for them to see. “Heart of steel.”

“Look.” Seren said, looking inside the chest, a soft blue light emanating from within. It wasn’t just electronics within the Cyberman. She reached inside and pulled out a string of white webbing.

“Is that flesh?” Mrs. Moore asked, a disgusted look on her face and in her voice.

“Yeah. The Central Nervous System.” Seren replied, putting the nerves back inside the chest and wiping her fingers on a handkerchief the Doctor gave her. “Artificially grown and then threaded throughout the suit so it responds as a living organism.” She sighed sadly and shook her head. “It  _is_ a living organism.”

“With an Emotional Inhibitor.” The Doctor said quietly, fingering an electronic chip embedded on the side of the inner chest cavity.

“To stop them from feeling anything?” Siwan asked.

“Yeah.” Seren said with a nod.

“But… why?” Mrs. Moore asked in confusion, a frown on her face.

“It’s still got a human brain.” The Doctor said, looking at her. “Imagine its reaction if it could see itself. Realize itself inside this thing.”

“They’d go insane.” Siwan said sadly.

“So they cut out the one thing that makes them human.” Mrs. Moore said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Because they have to.” The Doctor said with a heavy sigh, nodding.

“Why… am I… cold?” The Cyberman asked suddenly.

“Oh,  _Duw._ ” Seren and Siwan breathed in unison, their eyes wide in shock.

“It’s alive. It  _can_ feel.” Mrs. Moore breathed.

“We broke the Inhibitor.” The Doctor said in realization, leaning over and touching the Cyberman’s head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Why so cold?” The Cyberman repeated.

“Can you remember your name?” Seren asked quietly.

The two Welshwomen felt uneasy, knowing that the Cyberman was feeling emotions but were unable to sense them.

“Sally… Sally Phelan.” The Cyberman, Sally, replied.

“You’re a woman.” Mrs. Moore said softly.

“Where’s Gareth?” Sally asked.

“Who’s Gareth?” Seren asked gently.

“He can't see me.” Sally said. “It's unlucky the night before.”

“You’re getting married.” Siwan said in sorrowed realization, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.

“I’m cold. I’m so cold.” Sally said.

“It’s all right.” The Doctor said quietly, putting his screwdriver inside the chest cavity. “You sleep now, Sally. Just go to sleep.” He switched off the Cyberman off, letting her pass peacefully into death. He looked at the three women determinedly. “Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing, because that's the key. The Emotional Inhibitor.”

“If we could find the code behind it, the cancellation code, then feed it throughout the system into every Cyberman's head, they'd realize what they are.” Seren said with dawning realization.

“And what happens then?” Mrs. Moore asked.

“It would kill them.” Siwan said quietly, looking at the other three. “Can we do that? Kill them to save them and the world?”

“We've got to.” Mrs. Moore said, looking at the three of them. “Before they kill everyone else. There's no choice, Doctor. I’m sorry, girls, but it's got to be done.”

Seren, Siwan and the Doctor looked sadly at the dead Cyberman in front of them while Mrs. Moore got to her feet. Mrs. Moore didn’t see the Cyberman behind her that suddenly grabbed her by the neck and electrocuted her to death. Seren, Siwan and the Doctor shot to their feet in shock and horror.

“No!” The Doctor shouted furiously. “No! You didn’t have to kill her!”

“Sensors detect a binary vascular system.” The Cyberman said to the Doctor as more Cybermen appeared. “You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis.” It looked at Seren and Siwan. “Sensors recognize the daughters of Peter Tyler. You will be taken to Cyber Control.”

The Doctor, Seren and Siwan gave one last glance at the limp form of Mrs. Moore, Seren kneeling down to close the older woman’s lifeless eyes, before being led down the corridor. The Doctor took Seren and Siwan’s hands in each of his own, holding tightly.

The three were taken into the control room of the Battersea Power Station. They were shocked to see not only Pete and Rose there, but Mrs. Smith and JJ as well. Mrs. Smith had JJ wrapped in Siwan’s dupatta, holding the little boy close while she sat on one of the stools. The amethyst-eyed Welshwoman was still dressed elegantly, just as Siwan was, though both woman now had several curls escaping from their pins and hanging down from their up-dos.

"We've been captured," The Doctor said to Seren sarcastically while Siwan hurried to Pete and Mrs. Smith. "But don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there, they can rescue us…" He looked over, as though he was just seeing them. Pete wrapped his arms around Siwan and Mrs. Smith. "Oh well, never mind," He sighed as they came to a stop by the computers and looked at Rose, "You okay?"

“Yeah.” Rose said, nodding and hugging Seren tightly before letting go. “But they got Jackie.”

Rose’s voice broke and Seren pulled her back into a hug, rubbing the younger woman’s back soothingly. The Doctor undid his bow-tie and let it hang around his neck, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt as well.

“We were too late.” Pete said despondently, swallowing. “Lumic killed her.”

Mrs. Smith buried her head in JJ’s hair, the little boy completely wiped out and drained of any more tears to shed. He was quiet, gripping Mrs. Smith’s dress in tightly curled fists and watching everything in front of him with wide eyes.

“Why are you here?” Seren asked, looking at Mrs. Smith. “You were supposed to stay at the waste ground.”

“They found me not long after you guys left.” Mrs. Smith replied softly. “They recognized me as Uncle Pete’s goddaughter and brought me here.”

“Same with us.” Seren said, gesturing to herself and Siwan. “That’s why they brought us here instead of taking us straight to the conversion units or killing us right away.”

“Then where is he? The Doctor asked, looking around. “The famous Mister Lumic. Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?”

“He has been upgraded.” A Cyberman said.

“So, he’s just like you?” Seren asked, looking at the Cyberman distastefully.

“He is superior.” The same Cyberman said. “The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber-Controller.”

A door opened with a pneumatic hiss and all of them turned to the sound. A Cyberman rolled itself out in an upgraded wheelchair. Pete, Mrs. Smith and Siwan stared in shock and horror, Pete getting to his feet, though he still had his arms around his goddaughters.

"This is the Age of Steel and I am its Creator." Lumic announced.

Lumic’s voice was a bit more distinct than the other Cybermen – all of whom had the same mechanical tone to their voices, making them all indistinguishable just like their physical forms.

Before Lumic could say anything else, the sound of screams – though muffled – echoed throughout the room. The Cybermen started to look around the room, trying to find the source of the screaming.

“That’s our friends at work. Good boys!” The Doctor said before looking at Lumic. “Mr. Lumic, I think that’s a vote for free will.” He clicked his tongue and winked.

“I have factories waiting on seven continents.” Lumic said unconcernedly. “If the Ear Pods have failed, then the Cybermen will take humanity by force. London has fallen. So too shall the world. I will bring peace to the world. Everlasting peace and unity and uniformity.”

“And imagination?” The Doctor asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the console. “What about that? The one thing that lead you here, imagination, you're killing it dead!”

“What is your name?” Lumic asked.

“I'm the Doctor.” The Doctor replied.

“A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken.” Lumic said dismissively.

“Yeah, but that's it.” The Doctor said, stepping forward. “That's exactly the point!” He shook his head despairingly. “Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man. I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room...” He trailed off for a moment before getting back on track and looking at Lumic. “But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is so human. But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what's there to strive for? Eh? The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop. You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts, lacking the one thing that makes this planet so alive. People! Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people!”

“You are proud of your emotions?” Lumic asked.

“Oh, yes.” The Doctor replied, nodding.

Seren reached out and took his hand, holding it gently and reassuringly.

“Then tell me, Doctor, have you known grief? And rage? And pain?” Lumic asked.

The Doctor glanced down at Seren, remembering a woman from so long ago that looked exactly like her. Seren squeezed his hand comfortingly, believing he was thinking about the Time War.

“Yes.” The Doctor replied, looking back at Lumic. “Yes, I have.”

“And you have known fear? And Loss?” Lumic asked, turning to Seren.

“Yes, I have.” Seren replied, nodding. The Doctor squeezed her hand in return, providing her the same comfort and reassurance she had given him.

“And they hurt?”

“Oh yes.” The Doctor said while Seren nodded in agreement.

“I could set you free.” Lumic offered. “Would you not want that?” He looked at Seren. “A life without fear?”

“Not a chance.” Seren said strongly. “A life without fear isn’t worth living, because it would mean giving up the ability to appreciate what I  _do_ have. The love of my family and friends.” She glanced up at the Doctor. “The love of this mad man beside me.”

The Doctor looked down at her and smiled softly, a gentle expression in his eyes.

“And you? A life without pain?” Lumic asked, looking at the Doctor.

“You might as well kill me.” The Doctor replied, looking back at Lumic.

“Then I take that option.” Lumic said.

“It's not yours to take!” The Doctor exclaimed. “You're a  _Cyber_ Controller. You don't control me or Seren or anything with blood in its heart.”

"You have no means of stopping me. I have an army. A species of my own." Lumic said, causing the Doctor to shake his head in exasperation while Seren rolled her eyes and face-palmed.

“You just don't get it, do you?” The Doctor commented, the exasperation clear in his voice. “An army's  _nothing._ Because those ordinary people, they're the key.”

Seren looked up at the security feeds, broadcasting the security footage around the factory to the zeppelin hovering above.

“The most ordinary person could change the world.” Seren added, nudging the Doctor and nodding discretely to the video feeds. The slight movement was noticed by the others and they glanced up as well. “Some ordinary man or woman... some idiot...”

“All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers...” The Doctor continued, wrapping his arm around Seren’s waist. “Say, the right codes . . . say, for example, the code behind the Emotional Inhibitor. The code right in front of him. ‘Cos even an idiot knows how to use computers these days.”

“Even an idiot knows how to get past firewalls and passwords...” Seren continued. “Knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database, under... what was it, Siwan?” She glanced at Siwan. “Binary what?”

“Binary 9.” Siwan replied, purposefully speaking loudly.

"An  _idiot_ could find that code." The Doctor repeated. "The cancellation code. And he'd keep on typing. Keep on fighting." He turned and looked up meaningfully at the camera. "Anything to save his friends..."

“Almost like a tin dog.” Seren added meaningfully. “So loyal, so faithful, and  _so_ important.”

"Your words are irrelevant," Lumic stated.

“Talk too much, that’s my problem.” The Doctor said in agreement, grinning madly and looking at Seren. “Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Seren Rhosyn. For all our long chats.” He glanced at the camera, making a ‘phone’ signal with his hand. “On your  _phone.”_

“You will be deleted.” Lumic stated.

“Yes. Delete. Control. Hash. All those lovely, lovely buttons that Mica loves _pressing_ so much.” Seren said, a bright smile on her face.

“Then, of course, my particular favorite,  _send._ ” The Doctor said, mimicking pressing a button in thin air. “And let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place.” Seren’s phone beeped with an incoming message. She pulled it out discretely and looked at the message while the Doctor walked over to a particular console. “By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else.”

“It’s for you.” Seren said to the Doctor, tossing the Samsung Galaxy mobile to him.

“Like this.” The Doctor said with a grin, shoving the mobile into a docking station.

As soon as the mobile slot into place, all hell broke loose. With the cancelation code being transmitted to all the Cybermen, they cried out in agony as they realized what they had become – the reaction just as Seren, Siwan and the Doctor had predicted.

JJ, not understanding what was happening, screamed in fear and clutched his mother tightly. Seren grabbed the Doctor’s hand and squeezed tightly as she began feeling the emotions coming from the Cybermen, her mental shields unable to hold up against the overwhelming onslaught of emotion.

The Cybermen clutched their heads in pain, one near the Doctor catching its reflection in a piece of metal.

“I’m so sorry.” Mrs. Smith said softly, tears in her eyes.

“What have you done?!” Lumic roared furiously.

“We gave them back their souls. They can see what you’ve done, Lumic! And it’s killing them!” The Doctor replied, wrapping his arm around Seren’s waist and tossing her over his shoulder, racing out of the room with Mrs. Smith, Pete and Siwan behind him. Rose paused long enough to grab Seren’s mobile before running out as well.

"Delete!" Lumic shouted to their retreating backs. "Delete! Delete!"

They ran through the halls, the Doctor keeping a tight grip on Seren’s waist as he held her over his shoulder. All around them, explosions erupted, sending waves of heat and fire everywhere. Reaching the emergency exit, they found it to be blocked by Cybermen, writhing in pain.

Seren screamed in pain, her eyes screwed tightly shut, unable to withstand her mental shields taking another battering from the Cybermen’s emotions.

“Why’s she in pain?” Rose asked frantically, holding one of Seren’s hands and looking at the Doctor. “I thought you said her shields would hold!”

“The pain is too much for her to withstand!” The Doctor replied, just as frantic. “And without the TARDIS fully powered up, Idris can’t help channel the pain!”

“There’s no way out!” Mrs. Smith cried, worry and fear etched across her face.

She was holding JJ tightly and Pete had his arms around her, supporting her as they ran. Seren’s mobile rang and Rose answered it, listening to the message.

“It’s Mickey.” Rose said frantically, speaking loudly to be heard over JJ and Seren’s screams. “He says to head for the roof!”

They turned and ran up a flight of stairs, trying to avoid the explosions and flames, the falling debris from the rapidly destabilizing ceiling. Reaching the ladder that led to the roof, Rose climbed up first followed by Mrs. Smith (the dupatta tied around JJ in a makeshift sling against her chest once more). The Doctor went up next with Seren behind him followed by Siwan and then Pete bringing up the rear.

Rose jumped down from the ladder and onto the roof, avoiding the flames that had erupted nearby. As soon as the Doctor climbed down from the ladder, he turned and helped Seren over the ladder before taking her hand and holding tightly. Rose gave the still connected mobile to Seren, who used her other hand to hold the phone to her ear. They looked up and saw Lumic’s zeppelin floating in front of them.

“Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing?” Seren asked incredulously, her voice filled with pain.

“PlayStation.” Mickey replied. “Just hold on Seren, I’m coming to get you.”

Seren ended the call and they ran across the roof, the Doctor wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her from falling behind. As they ran, they avoided the explosions that erupted all around them. They skidded to a stop when a ladder fell from the zeppelin.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Pete groaned as Siwan laughed delightedly.

“Rose, Seren, get up!” The Doctor yelled and the two women began to climb, Rose first with Seren right behind her.

Behind Seren was the Doctor with Mrs. Smith following, JJ in the sling on her chest, Siwan beside her followed by Pete bringing up the rear.

“Welcome to Mickey Smith's Airlines.” Mickey called over the loudspeaker as the zeppelin began to rise. “Please enjoy your flight. Woo!”

They all clung to the ladder tightly as Mickey’s delighted laughter echoed through the loudspeaker.

“We did it! We did it!” Rose shouted, exultantly.

“Yes, we did!” Mrs. Smith yelled, just as exuberant.

Suddenly, the ladder jerked downward causing Seren to scream as she slipped and nearly fell. Rose reached out and grabbed her by the waist, wrapping her arm around the Welshwoman to keep her from falling. They all looked down to see Lumic hanging on the bottom rung of the ladder, climbing up behind them. The Doctor took his screwdriver out of his pocket.

“Pete! Take this!” The Doctor yelled, dropping the screwdriver into the blonde’s outstretched hand. “Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope. Just do it!”

“Jackie Tyler. This is for her!” Pete yelled, holding the screwdriver to the rope.

For several tense seconds, nothing happened before the rope finally gave way and snapped. Lumic fell back with a scream, engulfed by the flames of the exploding Power Station.

They clung to the ladder as the zeppelin was flown away from the explosion, the cold night air whipping around them.

“Come on!” The Doctor yelled, starting to climb the ladder again.

Rose let go of Seren’s waist and the two women climbed up behind him with the other three following eagerly.

“Guys!” Mickey shouted happily when he saw them.

“Siwan!” Adam shouted in relief, when he saw his fiancée.

Mickey handed the wheel over to Jake and hurried over to his friends. He hugged Seren tightly, then Rose and finally the Doctor before wrapping his arms around Seren once more.

Adam went straight to Siwan and hugged her tightly before hugging Mrs. Smith, JJ and Pete as well. After hugging his future father-in-law, he turned back to Siwan and kissed her deeply, wrapping his arms around her waist. Separating when breathing became an issue, he kept his arms around her waist while Mrs. Smith, JJ, Pete stood close to the couple, all of them needing the reassurance that at least some of them had survived the terrible ordeal.

The same was with Mickey, Seren, Rose and the Doctor. Mickey kept his arms around Seren’s waist as she kept a tight hold on the Doctor and Rose’s hands – just needing some tactile reassurance that they survived.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Half an hour later, they returned to Lambeth Pier where the TARDIS was parked. The Doctor went inside with the power cell while the rest stayed outside.

Pete and Rose stood a few feet away, talking quietly while Seren leaned against the TARDIS. Siwan and Adam were a few feet away, their arms wrapped around each other and lost in their own little bubble, Siwan with her dupatta back and hanging over her arms. Mrs. Smith was leaning back against the stone wall, watching as JJ ran back and forth between each of them, babbling to one person before moving on to the next.

For a moment, everyone was lost in their own worlds until Seren began to glow, the same time the Doctor put the power cell back into the console. Slowly, the glow became stronger until it obscured Seren entirely for a few seconds before fading away, settling in her veins and arteries as a shimmer just as it was before.

“You definitely light up like a Christmas tree.” Adam said bluntly, looking at Seren.

“Yes, I do.” Seren said with a grin as the Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS.

“Seren, we’ve only got about five minutes of power.” The Time Lord said, stepping out of the TARDIS and looking at her. “We’ve got to go.”

Seren nodded and turned to where Rose was standing with Pete.

“Rose, we’ve got to go!” Seren called to the blonde who nodded in understanding.

“The Doctor could show ya…” Rose said, looking at Pete.

“Thank you… for everything.” Pete said softly, an uncomfortable expression on his face.

“Dad.” Rose said quietly in a tearful voice.

Seren closed her eyes, a pang of pain shooting through her heart at Rose’s heartbroken expression.

"Don't," Pete said sharply. "Just-just don't…"

He turned at walked away, heading towards Mrs. Smith, JJ, Siwan and Adam –  _his_ family.

“Pete!” Seren called, jogging after him. He stopped walking and spun around to face her. “Cherish the time you have with them and tell them you love them every night.” He nodded in agreement. “And I’m sorry about Jackie.”

“Thank you.” Pete said softly, knowing that Seren truly understood what he was feeling.

“Can I ask just one thing from you?” Seren asked, tears in her eyes. “Just one thing of the man that shares my godfather’s face?”

“What is it?” Pete asked gently.

“Can you stay until we leave?” She asked hesitantly.

Pete nodded and the two walked back to where the Doctor and Rose where standing by the TARDIS. Mrs. Smith, JJ, Siwan and Adam standing nearby as Jake and Mickey approached the time travelers.

“Here it is!” Mickey said with a laugh, holding the Doctor’s suit out to the Time Lord. “I found it. Not a crease.”

"My suit! Good man!” The Doctor said with joy, taking the suit back. “Now then, Jake, we've gotta run."

“But one more thing.” Seren said firmly, looking at Jake. "Mrs. Moore, her real name is Angela Price."

"She's got a husband out there." The Doctor said.

"And children." Seren added.

"Find them."

"Tell them how she died saving the world."

When they finished speaking, they noticed the seven people looking at them oddly.

“What?” The Doctor and Seren asked in unison.

"That was just creepy," Mickey remarked, "The two of you…finishing each other's sentences like that."

“It’s like listening to John and Seren.” Siwan said, a smirk on her face.

“Or you and Adam.” Mrs. Smith retorted, an identical smirk on her own face.

“Right.” Seren said slowly, not seeing where the twins were going with their comments. She turned to Jake. “Would you be able to?”

“Yeah, ’course I will.” Jake said with a nod.

"Off we go, then!" The Doctor said cheerfully, heading towards the TARDIS with Seren and Rose on either side of him.

"Uh...thing is, I'm staying." Mickey said.

At Mickey’s words, all three froze and slowly turned around to face the Londoner.

“You’re doing what?!” Seren asked, her eyes wide in shock.

“You can’t.” Rose said tearfully, shaking her head.

“It sort of balances out, because this world lost its Ricky, but there's me.” Mickey said, standing firm in his decision. “And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there.”

Jake stepped back, standing near Mrs. Smith, Pete, Adam, Siwan and JJ to try and give the four some privacy.

“But you can’t stay.” Rose said tearfully. “Seren, tell him! He can’t stay!”

“Rose, Gran is here.” Seren said quietly, quickly realizing what the deciding factor was in Mickey’s decision.

“She’s alive.” Mickey said tearfully. “She needs me.”

“I understand.” Seren said tearfully. “But what if  _I_ need you? You’re my best friend Mickey.”

“That’s just it Seren, you don’t need me.” Mickey said gently, tears in his eyes. “You haven’t needed me since the Doctor healed your heart. And that’s a good thing, because he can be there for you in a way that I can’t.”

Seren lost her fight against her tears and began to sob, Rose in a similar position. Mickey drew both of them into his arms and held them tightly as they sobbed into his chest.

“Mickey, you understand that once we leave, we can never come back.” The Doctor said firmly, looking at him with sorrow. “You’ll be trapped here, forever.”

Mickey nodded in understanding, fully aware of what he was giving up. He released Rose and Seren and the two women stepped back while he and the Doctor hugged each other tightly.

"Tell Seren how you feel." Mickey whispered to the Time Lord.

The Doctor nodded as they separated and stepped away from each other.

“Take Seren’s mobile, it has the code.” The Doctor said as Seren handed her mobile to her best friend. “Get it out there. Stop those factories.” Mickey nodded in understanding. “And good luck... Mickey the Idiot.” The Doctor slapped Mickey lightly on the cheek.

“Watch it!” Mickey yelled as the Doctor sauntered back to the TARDIS, stopping in the doorway and looking back.

“We’ve had a laugh though, haven’t we?” Mickey said, looking at Seren and Rose, both giving tearful nods at his words. “Seen it all, been there and back... Who would have thought, the three of us off the old estate, flying through the stars.”

“All those years just sitting there... imagining what we’d do one day...” Seren said, her voice breaking.

“We never saw this, did we?” Rose asked, tears streaming down her face.

Mickey drew the two women into a tight hug, squeezing briefly before letting go.

“Go on, don’t miss your flight.” Mickey said, stepping back and gently pushing them towards the TARDIS.

The two ran to the TARDIS, tears streaming down their faces. They stopped in the doorway, looking back at Mickey with the Doctor behind them. Mickey looked back at them, Mrs. Smith, Siwan, Adam, Pete, JJ and Jake standing around him supportively.

“Always by each other.” Seren, Rose and the Doctor started.

“Always together.” Mickey continued.

“Always and forever.” All four of them finished in unison.

The Doctor, Seren and Rose stepped fully inside the TARDIS and closed the door behind them, the Time Lord hurrying to the console to pilot them out of the parallel universe before they lost their window of opportunity. Seren and Rose leaned against the doors, their fingers interlocked as tears streamed down their faces.

The moment they left the parallel universe and returned to their own, Seren let out a single pain-filled scream as her connection to Mickey broke before sobbing uncontrollably. Rose wrapped her arms around her and the Doctor quickly put them on autopilot before hurrying to the two, wrapping his own arms around Seren as well.

Slowly, Seren and Rose stopped crying and got to their feet, the Doctor following suit.

“We can go home for a bit.” The Doctor suggested quietly.

“Yeah, we should.” Seren said, wiping her eyes. “Siwan would have felt the pain too, but she won’t know what caused it.”

“I’ll set the autopilot to take us to the Estate while we change.” He said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get some clean clothes on.”

Seren and Rose nodded and they split up, the girls going to their rooms. The Doctor paused to adjust their destination coordinates before going to his own room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The TARDIS rematerialized in the Tyler/ Jones flat just as Jackie was filling the kettle for some mid-morning tea. Siwan had been lying down and trying to rest after her connection to Mickey broke, clinging to Adam tightly. Hearing the tell-tale grinding of the TARDIS, both left the bedroom and went to the main area of the flat, Adam supporting his beloved.

Siwan was barefoot, dressed only in a light blue sports tank top that showed part of her stomach and a pair of dark blue gym shorts. Her hair was loose and ruffled, a telltale sign that Adam had been running his hands through the long, dark locks.

The TARDIS door opened to reveal Seren and Rose standing beside each other, staring at Jackie with wide eyes.

Rose was dressed in a pair of jeans, a dark orange tank top with a long-sleeved navy blue sweater over top. Seren was barefoot and dressed in a dark and light blue tie-dyed long-sleeved maxi dress* with her long hair tied back in a loose braid.

“You’re alive…” Rose breathed, causing Jackie to raise her eyebrow at the comment.

Seren and Rose flew out of the TARDIS and wrapped their arms around Jackie, clinging to her tightly just as they had done so many times as children.

“Seren? What happened?” Siwan asked in concern, one hand holding onto Adam as he supported her and reaching out to her sister with the other.

Seren let go of Jackie and clung to Siwan, holding her and reveling in the  _warmth_ of her sister’s hug. Adam adjusted his hold so that he had his arms wrapped around both women.

“What is it? What’s wrong, sweethearts?” Jackie asked, rubbing Rose’s back soothingly.

“Where did you go?” Adam asked in concern, looking at the Doctor who was leaning back against the TARDIS with a tired expression on his face.

“Far away. That was... far away.” The Doctor replied, unable to go into any more details.

“Where’s Mickey?” Siwan asked fearfully. “Why did my connection to Mickey break?”

“He’s gone home.” The Doctor said quietly. “He’s alive, but we won’t see him again.”

The Time Lord’s respond had Seren and Rose sobbing once again, a few tears escaping Siwan’s own jewel-colored eyes. Slowly, Jackie maneuvered Rose so that she was sitting on the couch. The Doctor took Seren in his arms and sat down on the couch, maneuvering so that she was sitting on his lap with his arms around her.

Siwan went into the kitchen and made lavender tea for them all, hoping that the soothing properties of the herb would help them calm down.

“Aunt Jackie?” Seren asked quietly, raising her head slightly from the Doctor’s chest and looking at the older woman.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Jackie asked, looking up from where she was sitting with Rose curled against her side.

“Can you tell us about the first time you met Uncle Pete?”

“Oh, Seren, you already know that story.” Jackie said with a sigh. “You’ve heard it a million times, from me, from your uncle and from your parents.”

“Please, Mum?” Rose pleaded, looking up at her mother with the same eyes as Pete Tyler.

Siwan returned with the tray of tea and handed the cups around. Setting the tray aside, she sat on the floor, curled against Adam who was leaning back against the Doctor’s legs.

“All right.” Jackie said, shaking her head. “Now, the day I met Pete it was raining and I had forgotten my umbrella...”

_Links:_

_*Seren maxi dress when they return to their Universe (hair open, barefoot) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479572969/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479572969/)

 


	9. The Idiot's Lantern

_Notes: Siwan's graduation will probably be a separate story, a 1 or 2 chapter companion piece._

**The Idiot’s Lantern**

Seren and Rose excitedly showed Siwan around the TARDIS, giving her the official tour of the magnificent sentient ship. They had just left the Powell Estate following Siwan’s graduation with her officially a part of the TARDIS crew, the sapphire-eyed Welshwoman now having a Doctorate in Biology alongside her double Bachelors in Archival Sciences and Chemistry.

Linearly, it had been a week since the fateful ‘trip’ to the parallel universe as well as Mickey’s decision to stay behind and fight against the remaining Cybermen.

The first night after they returned to their Earth, once Seren and Rose had fallen asleep, the Doctor quietly informed Jackie, Adam and Siwan about what had occurred in the parallel universe - from encountering their parallel versions to facing and fighting Cybermen, as well as everything in between. Rhiannon and Johnny had arrived with the kids the next day (having come for Siwan’s graduation), the two adults being told everything by Jackie while a simplified version was told to the kids, mostly David (Mickey had decided to stay on a world far away, to fight for what was right and good, and that it was a place that not even the TARDIS could return to).

It had taken all of their combined effort to help Seren and Siwan heal from their bond with Mickey breaking. Slowly, especially with the help and presence of David and Mica, they were able to pull themselves together in time for Siwan’s graduation (which had occurred three days after their return) and the following party that was thrown at the Powell Estate by their proud neighbors and friends.

After the graduation, and the party, the time travelers spent the next few days recuperating before resuming their travels. When the Doctor once again extended the invitation to Siwan to join them, she agreed with Adam’s blessing – having initially refused due to school, work and the desire to focus on building her relationship with the Immortal.

When they dematerialized from the Tyler/ Jones living room, Jackie, Adam, Rhiannon and Johnny watched them go with heavy hearts. David and Mica were the only ones not worried, both of the firm belief that they would see their beloved aunts and uncles again, including Mickey. The adults knew that it was for the best, Siwan needed the chance to explore and travel just as much as Seren and Rose did, however, it didn’t stop them from worrying. In order to lessen the worry as much as possible, the Doctor had made sure they all had the ‘superphones’, allowing them to communicate from anywhere in Time and Space.

Finishing the tour with showing Siwan her room, which was located right across from Seren’s, the three women returned to the console room where the Doctor was at the console.

“Finished with the tour?” He asked with a grin, taking note of Siwan’s amazed expression.

“Yeah, she’s absolutely beautiful.” Siwan breathed, her eyes wide with amazement.

“Thank you, my Sapphire.” Idris said, her musical voice echoing in the back of Siwan’s mind.

“Wha- What was that?” Siwan asked in shock, looking around at the other three.

“What?” Seren asked in concern, stopping halfway across the room and turning to look back at her sister.

“That voice.” Siwan said. “In my mind.”

“What did it say?” The Doctor asked curiously, a grin on his face.

“’Thank you, my Sapphire’.” Siwan said.

“That was Idris.” Seren said with a bright smile, running back to her sister and hugging her tightly. “Remember how you heard her humming the previous times you were here? Now she can speak with you, as well!”

“But why can’t I hear her?” Rose asked with a frown. “I can’t hear the humming or the talking.”

“Oh, um, it doesn’t happen with everyone.” The Doctor said, looking at Rose and scratching his ear uncomfortably.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them until Seren broke it, asking, “So, where do you want to go?”

“Um, I don’t know.” Siwan said with a shrug. “Rose? Any ideas?”

“What about going to see Elvis?” Rose suggested, looking at Siwan.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Siwan said, nodding. “Doctor?”

“Elvis it is!” The Doctor exclaimed excitedly, racing about the console, fiddling with the controls and levers.

“We should get changed.” Seren said, gesturing to the jeans and shirts the three women were wearing.

With nods of agreement, the three women raced out of the console room and headed to their own rooms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The TARDIS materialized on a street corner and Rose stepped out, wearing a pink dress with layers of white tulle underneath, a jean jacket, black stockings, 4” pink high heeled peep-toe pumps and a pair of long pink glass earrings, her hair done up in a bun with a pink headband.

“I thought we’d be going for the Vegas era.” Rose called. “You know, the white flares and the..." She growled seductively. "Chest hair."

“You’re kidding.” Seren said, stepping out of the TARDIS with Siwan beside her. “To really see Elvis, you go to the late 50’s.”

Seren was dressed in a knee-length light red vintage bow-knot butterfly floral dress, with thick black spaghetti straps and neckline and 6” light red high heeled open-toed, ankle strap sandals. She wore a matching white and light red diamond necklace, earring, ring and bracelet set, the ring on her left middle finger (her perception filter ring in its usual place on her right ring finger), and a silver cross-body purse slung across her chest*. Over the dress, she wore a jean jacket with the front part of her hair pinned back, away from her face in a vintage style while the rest tumbled down her back and over her shoulders in sleek curls*.

Siwan had the same style dress, jewelry and shoes as Seren (except in light blue, her jewelry being light blue and white diamond with the ring on her right ring finger) with the silver purse also slung across her chest and a jean jacket on top. Her hair was tied back in a vintage style half-pony* with the rest of her left loose to tumble around her shoulders, held with a light blue pin.

“She’s right.” The Doctor said, poking his head out around the TARDIS door. His hair was gelled back in a Teddy-boy quaff. “You go to the time before burgers.” He stepped back inside, raising his voice so the women could still hear him. “When they called him ‘the Pelvis’ and he still had a waist! What's more, you see him in style.”

An engine revved from inside the TARDIS and the three women whipped around to face the sound, only to see the Doctor ride out on a moped. He was wearing a white crash helmet and a pair of white shades covering his eyes.

Seren laughed delightedly at the sight and the Doctor hit the brakes, looking over at them. 

“You goin’ my way, dolls?” He asked, curling his lip and imitating Elvis, causing Seren to laugh even more. 

Siwan went back inside the TARDIS and emerged a few seconds later on a green moped, wearing a blue helmet. She stopped next to the Doctor’s moped and hit the brakes, looking over at Rose.

“Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?” Seren asked, imitating an American accent.

Seren walked towards him, putting on a pair of light red shades and sitting behind him on the moped.

“Straight from the fridge, man!” Rose said with a giggle in an American accent as well, putting on a pair of pink sunglasses and sitting behind Siwan.

“Hey, you speak the lingo!” The Doctor said delightedly while Siwan handed Rose a pink helmet.

“Aunt Jackie’s a Cliff Richard fan.” Siwan explained, forgoing the shades since she had her prescription glasses perched on her nose.

“So, every Bank Holiday Monday, it’s us and his moves.” Seren added.

“Ah, Cliff!” The Doctor said, shaking his head exasperatedly. “I knew Jackie'd be a Cliff fan.”

He and Siwan started the mopeds and they rode off down the street.

“Where we off to?” Rose asked loudly, so she could be heard over the noise of the engines, her arms wrapped tightly around Siwan’s waist.

“Ed Sullivan TV Studios.” The Doctor replied. “Elvis did Hound Dog on one of the shows. There were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it.”

“That’s in New York, yeah?” Seren asked, her and Siwan both frowning as they took in their surroundings.

“Yep!” The Doctor replied happily, popping the ‘p’ as a red London double-decker bus drove past them.

His grin faded and they stopped, pulling up by a red post box.

“Digging that New York vibe!” Rose exclaimed, her, Seren and Siwan laughing.

They looked around properly and saw hundreds of Union Flag bunting hanging between the houses, from rooftop to rooftop.

“Well… this could still be New York.” The Doctor argued half-heartedly. “I mean, this looks very New York to me. Sort of… Londony New York, mind…”

“What are all the flags for?” Seren asked, pointing out the numerous flags.

“I don’t know.” The Doctor said slowly, pulling to the side and parking. “Let’s go find out.”

Siwan followed suit, parking her moped behind his and got off. The four of them walked down the street, Seren and the Doctor hand-in-hand, fingers interlocked, while Siwan and Rose had their arms looped together.

“There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion.” A man said from behind a nearby van.

The four time travelers paused and watched as a pair of young man removed a TV from the back of the van and walked away.

“The great occasion?” The Doctor asked the man, removing his shades and pocketing them. “What d’you mean?”

“Where’ve you been living, out in the Colonies?” The man asked with a chuckle, closing the van doors. “Coronation, of course.”

“What Coronation’s that, then?” The Doctor asked, still confused.

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks, realization dawning on their faces.

“What d’you mean? _The_ Coronation.” The man replied with a bemused smile.

The Doctor looked at Seren blankly, still not having any idea what the man was talking about.

“The Queen’s.” Seren explained. At his still blank look, she added, “Queen Elizabeth!”

“Oh!” The Doctor exclaimed, finally understanding. He turned back to the man. “Is this 1953?”

“Last time I looked.” The man said. “Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best!”

Rose, Seren and Siwan looked up at the house chimneys, frowns on their faces.

“Look at all the TV aerials... looks like everyone’s got one. That’s weird.” Rose said perplexed, glancing at the twins who looked just as perplexed. “Remember what Nan said? Tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house.”

“Not 'round here, love.” The man said with a grin. “Magpie’s Marvellous Telly's, only five quid a box.”

“That’s incredibly cheap, for this time period.” Seren muttered quietly so that the man wouldn’t hear her.

“Oh but this is a _brilliant_ year!” The Doctor said, smiling and energetic. “Classic! Technicolor, Everest climbed, everything off the ration-” He took on a typical BBC English accent. “The Nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future!”

The three women laughed at his actions while the man selling the TV’s, Magpie, looked at them as if they had lost their minds. 

"Someone help me, please! Ted!" A woman screamed suddenly behind them and their laughter faded.

They whipped around and looked towards the sound to see a man with a blanket over his head, being herded into the back of a black police car by two suited men.

"Leave him alone, it's my husband!" The woman shouted pleadingly as the four travelers quickly ran to her.

“What’s going on?” The Doctor asked.

The suited men didn’t respond, only guiding the covered man into the car before shutting the door.

“Oi, what are you doing?!” A young boy shouted, running out from the house across the street.

“Police business, now get out of the way, sir!” One of the suited men said, turning to look at them.

“Who did they take, do you know him?” Seren asked, turning to the boy. An older woman gazed sadly at them, standing in the doorway of the house he had emerged from.

“Must be Mr. Gallagher…” The boy replied thoughtfully as the car drove off, leaving Mrs. Gallagher sobbing in despair. Siwan wrapped her arms around the distraught woman, holding her comfortingly. “It’s happening all over the place - they’re turning into monsters.”

Seren looked at the boy in shock, seeing the despair on his face as Mrs. Gallagher continued to sob. Siwan gently guided the woman back into her home, letting the others that lived in the house look after her before turning back and joining Rose, the Doctor and Seren.

Unfortunately, before the boy could tell them anything else, a strict looking man stormed out of the house behind his wife.

“Tommy!” The man yelled angrily. “Not one word! Get inside, now!”

“Sorry, I’d better do as he says.” The boy, Tommy, said apologetically, going back to his house.

Seren narrowed her eyes, seeing the minute fear in the boy’s movements – fear of his father. She glanced at her sister and saw the same narrowed eyes, Siwan had noticed the same thing. The Doctor looked at the retreating car and put his shades back on, running to the mopeds with Siwan behind him. The two of them kicked the mopeds to life and Rose and Seren quickly got on behind the two drivers.

“All aboard!” The Doctor called as they raced after the police car.

Rose hung on to Siwan tightly, the Welshwoman driving just as recklessly as the Doctor was, racing to catch up with the police car. The car turned around a corner and they followed behind seconds later. Siwan and the Doctor pressed the brakes and skidded to stop in front of a red wall-like gate blocking the road, a wooden market barrow in front of it with two men sweeping the immediate area and giving no indication that they had even noticed the two speeding mopeds.

“Lost ‘em!” The Doctor said in a bemused tone.

“How did they get away from us?” Siwan asked, looking around curiously.

“I’m surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you both for reckless driving.” Rose exclaimed, loosening her grip around Siwan’s waist and catching her breath. “Have you both actually _passed_ your tests?”

“Men in black? Vanishing police cars?” The Doctor said with a frown, not listening to Rose. “This is Churchill’s England, not Stalin’s Russia!”

“Tell me about it.” Siwan muttered.

“Monsters.” Seren said thoughtfully, her voice drawing the Doctor, Rose and Siwan’s attention. She looked at them and continued, “Tommy said ‘Monsters’. Maybe we should go talk to the neighbors.”

“That’s what I like about you.” The Doctor said sweetly. “The domestic approach.”

“Was that an insult?” Seren asked, glaring at him.

He didn’t respond, instead starting the moped and driving off with Seren tightening her grip around his waist. Rose and Siwan followed behind them, both snickering to themselves though Seren couldn’t hear them over the noise of the engines.

It was only a few minutes later with their crazy driving that they reached Florizel Street, where they had first encountered the ‘men in black’ police officers, and parked beside the curb. Removing their helmets and getting off the mopeds, they walked up the stairs to Tommy's house, Rose and the Doctor beside each other with Seren and Siwan behind them.

The Doctor rang the doorbell and a few minutes later, the door was opened by Tommy’s father, the boy in the background and watching nervously.

“Hiiiii!” The Doctor and Rose said in an adorable unison, identical cheesy grins on their faces.

Behind them, Seren and Siwan gave the man gentle smiles, the ones they often used while at work. The man eyed them suspiciously, not at all appeased by the smiles.

“Who are you, then?” The man asked, a frown on his face.

“Let's see, then.” The Doctor muttered quietly, eyeing the man. “Judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore-” He raised his voice slightly so that the man could hear, pulling his psychic paper out with a flourish and holding it up, “I represent Queen and Country.” He pocketed the psychic paper, the man looking at the Time Lord bewildered. “Just doing a little check of Her forthcoming Majesty's subjects before the great day. Don't mind if I come in? Nah, I didn't think you did. Thank you!”

The Doctor didn’t wait for a response from the man before barging in, the three women following suit. They looked around their surroundings and filed into the living room where Tommy and his mother were standing, looking nervously at the new arrivals.

“Not bad. Very nice. Very well kept.” The Doctor said approvingly. “I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs…?”

“Connolly.” The woman answered timidly.

"Now then Rita, I can handle this," The man, Mr. Connolly, said, stepping into the room. "This gentleman's a proper representative!" Seren frowned, her heart aching at the timid and terrified expression on the older woman’s face. “Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit.”

Rose perched on the arm of a single sofa while Siwan perched on the arm of the other. Seren moved to stand beside Tommy and watched the scene in front of her with sharp eyes.

“Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more.” The Doctor stated, shocking both Tommy and Mr. Connolly. “I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty.” He glanced at the flags that were hanging over a chair, waiting to be put up around the house. “Nice flags. Why are they not flying?”

“There we are, Rita!” Mr. Connolly said in a scolding tone to his wife after a moment’s hesitation. “I told you! Get them up. Queen and Country.”

The Doctor and the twins frowned at the man’s words, not liking the image he was portraying.

“I’m sorry.” Mrs. Connolly said apologetically, her voice shaky. She was about to continue when the Doctor raised his hand slightly, silently stopping her from saying anything else.

"Get it done! Do it now." Mr. Connolly said to his wife, not noticing the silent gesture.

"Hold on a minute." The Doctor cut in, stepping towards Mr. Connolly and trying to get his attention.

"Like the gentleman says…"

"Hold on a minute." The Doctor repeated, finally getting through to the man. "You've got hands, Mr. Connolly. Two big hands! Why is that your wife's job?"

“It’s housework, innit?” Mr. Connolly replied.

At Mr. Connolly’s response, Seren and Siwan raised their eyebrows, not impressed at all.

“And that’s a woman’s job?” The Doctor asked, his eyes narrowed.

“’Course it is!” Mr. Connolly exclaimed with a chuckle.

“Mr. Connolly, what gender is the Queen?” Seren asked suddenly, stepping forward and looking up at the larger man, her voice calm.

Siwan and Rose exchanged looks, biting back their smiles. Seren had spoken with a tone that both women recognized, the one that she had used when they were children and was left in charge of all of them while the adults were busy. The rare times she had used that tone when they misbehaved or were being particularly foolish, it had never failed to get them all in order.

It was calm, but with an undercurrent of warning that promised great trouble if she wasn’t obeyed, _instantly_.

“She’s a female.” Mr. Connolly replied uncomfortably, the tone Seren used causing him to shift in his spot.

The Doctor bit back his own smile, sitting down on the loveseat between the two singles and watching Seren take the man to task.

“And are you suggesting that the _Queen_ does the housework?” Seren asked with a raised eyebrow, her voice still calm.

Tommy started to smile, watching as the strangers actually began to win he confrontation with his father. He glanced at his mother who seemed a little heartened by his humiliation, a small smile on her face as well.

"No!" Mr. Connolly said. "Not at all!"

Seren picked up a string of flags and handed it over to Mr. Connelly.

“Then, get busy.” She commanded.

“Right, yes ma’am.” Mr. Connolly said, taking the flags and setting about hanging them, feigning enthusiasm the entire time. Seren gave a satisfied nod and sat down next to the Doctor, the Time Lord giving her a proud smile. Mrs. Connolly looked at Seren with wide eyes, completely amazed at the way the Welshwoman had handled her husband. “You’ll be proud of us, ma’am! We’ll have Union Jacks left, right, and centre!”

“‘Scuse me, Mr. Connolly, hang on a minute!” Rose said suddenly, standing up and looking at Mr. Connolly, her hands on her hips. “Union Jacks?”

"Yes, that's right, isn't it?" Mr. Connolly asked, looking at Rose uncertainly.

"That's the Union _Flag_.” Rose corrected. Seren and Siwan watched with small smirks on their faces. “It's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea."

Tommy had a full blown smile on his face as he watched his father get humbled by the four strangers. He glanced at his mother and saw that she, too was just as amazed as he was.

"Oh!" Mr. Connolly said apologetically, "Oh, I'm sorry. I-I do apologize!"

"Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man," Rose said, smiling widely before becoming stern. “Now, get to it!”

Mr. Connolly hastily turned back to his work while Rose turned looked at the twins with a broad grin on her face. Seren, closest to Rose, held her hand out to the blonde gave her a high-five.

"Right then!" The Doctor said with a grin as Rose sat down on the single. "Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!” He turned to the three god-sisters and asked quietly, "Union Flag?"

“Mum went out with a sailor.” Rose said quietly.

“Oohohohoo! I bet she did!” The Doctor said with a quiet chuckle before turning back and looking at Mrs. Connolly and Tommy. “Anyway, I’m the Doctor, this is Seren, her sister Siwan and their god-sister Rose, and you are?”

The Doctor looked at Tommy who looked surprised at being noticed.

“Tommy.” Tommy replied.

“Come, sit down, Tommy.” Seren said gently, her and the Doctor shifting aside to make space for the boy and patting the empty space between them.

Siwan stood up and motioned for Mrs. Connolly to take the single before perching on the arm next to the Doctor.

“Have a look at this.” The Doctor said, all of them looking at the television. “I love telly, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think it’s brilliant!” Tommy said cheerfully.

“Good man!” The Doctor said with a grin. They watched the TV, a program about fossils playing, for a few minutes before the Doctor glanced over his shoulder to check on Mr. Connolly. “Keep working Mr. C!” He called then turned back to Mrs. Connolly, dropping the cheerful act. In a quiet voice, he asked, “Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Mrs. Connolly hesitated for a moment, torn between asking for help and staying quiet.

“Did you say you were a doctor?” Mrs. Connolly said finally after a few moments of hesitation.

“Yes, I am.” The Doctor replied.

“Can you help her? Oh please. Can you help her, Doctor?” Mrs. Connolly pleaded, looking at the Time Lord with tear-filled eyes.

“Now then Rita.” Mr. Connolly said in a warning tone, holding the flags. “I don’t think the gentleman needs to know…”

“Oh, the gentleman does.” The Doctor said, cutting Mr. Connolly off.

Mrs. Connolly began to sob, a hand to her mouth to try and muffle the noise.

“Tell us what’s wrong and we can help.” Rose said in a soft voice.

Mrs. Connolly’s sobbed harder, the sound getting louder, and she shook her head helplessly.

“It’s all right. It’s all right.” Siwan said soothingly, shifting from the arm of the loveseat to the single so that she could wrap her arms around the sobbing woman.

Seren quickly went to the sobbing woman and knelt in front of her, holding her hands gently.

“Mrs. Connolly, _Rita_ , we need you to calm down.” Seren said gently, squeezing the woman’s hands to get her attention. “We can’t help if you don’t tell us what’s wrong.”

Mrs. Connolly continued to sob, the stress of the past few weeks catching up to her. Siwan rubbed her back and Seren looked at the Doctor, seeing him watch them with concern, a frown on his face.

"Hold on a minute!" Mr. Connolly shouted. "Queen and Country's one thing, but this is my house!"

Seren glanced at the Doctor and saw him prop his head on his balled fist, his elbow resting on the arm of the sofa. To those that didn’t know the Time Lord, he would look completely calm, but Seren knew he was restraining himself with every ounce of his will power. Rose and Tommy were both tense and Siwan soothingly rubbed Mrs. Connolly’s back. Siwan was ignoring Mr. Connolly’s shouting, with the ease of practice gleaned from working in the A&E and dealing with hysterical patients and family members.

“What the…?” Mr. Connolly stammered, looking at the bunting in his hands. “What the hell am I doing?” He threw the flags down and stormed over to the travelers. “Now you listen here, Doctor! You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business!”

“Not if people are being bundled into-” The Doctor started scathingly.

“I am talking!” Mr. Connolly shouted, cutting the Doctor off.

“And I’m not listening!” The Doctor shouted, losing his calm mask and shooting to his feet, towering over Mr. Connolly. “Now you, Mr. Connolly, you are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let me help!” Mr. Connolly stepped back, very shaken by the display of anger directed back at him. Mrs. Connolly and Tommy looked scared, unsure of how to react to the sudden display of anger while Rose looked startled. Seren and Siwan smiled reassuringly at Rose and the mother-son pair. “So I'm ordering you, _sir_ \- tell me what's going on!”

Mr. Connolly opened his mouth to respond when the sound of banging was heard from directly above them. Everyone looked up at the ceiling. Tommy looked around nervously while Mrs. Connolly sighed sadly, shaking her head.

“She won’t stop.” Mr. Connolly said with a degree of fear as the banging continued, getting louder. “She never stops.”

"We started hearing stories." Tommy spoke up, his voice shaking, and they turned to him. "All ’round the place. People who've...changed. Families keeping it secret 'cos they were scared. Then the police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does." Mrs. Connolly looked down, scared, and Siwan rubbed her back comfortingly while Mr. Connolly shifted ashamedly. “They just...turn up, come to the door and take 'em. Any time of the day or night."

“Show me.” The Doctor said firmly.

Tommy nodded and led everyone out of the room, up the stairs, and down a hall to the closed door at the end. He opened the door slowly and peaked into the room cautiously.

“Gran? It’s Tommy.” Tommy said, opening the door wider and allowing the rest to see the darkened room. “‘S all right Gran, I’ve brought help.”

An old woman, Tommy’s Grandmother, stood by the window, just a silhouette in the moonlight. She started to move towards them and Tommy turned on the lights, bathing the room in a warm gold glow and revealing the old woman’s features, or rather lack thereof – Tommy’s Grandmother had no face at all, her eyes, nose and mouth were completely gone and the skin smoothed over as though nothing had ever been there.

Rose gasped in shock while Seren and Siwan’s eyes widened at the sight of the elderly woman. The Doctor stepped towards the old woman and peered at her blank face, Seren and Siwan on either side of him.

“Her face is completely gone.” The Doctor muttered with an air of fascination. The twins shifted uneasily, uncomfortable at the almost _lack_ of emotions coming from the old woman. “What are you getting, Seren? Siwan?”

“It’s almost as though there are no emotions coming from her.” Seren said quietly, a frown on her face as the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the old woman’s face.

“Scarcely an electrical impulse left.” He added quietly. “Almost complete neural shutdown, she’s ticking over, like her brain has been...wiped clean.”

“What are we gonna do, Doctor?” Tommy asked worriedly. “We can’t even feed her.”

Before anyone could respond there was a crash downstairs, the sound of someone breaking down the door.

“We’ve got company.” Rose said as they all jumped at the sound of footsteps thudding up the stairs.

"It's them!" Rita cried fearfully. "They've come for her!"

"What was she doing before this happened?" Seren asked hurriedly. “Where was she?”

Mrs. Connolly frowned, trying to remember.

“Tell us, quickly.” Siwan urged. “Think!

"I can't think!" Tommy said, shaking his head, "She doesn't leave the house! She was just-”

Before Tommy could finish his sentence, a big burly man strode into the room with another officer at his back.

“Hold on a minute.” The Doctor said to the officers, trying to buy Tommy some time to think. “There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One-”

Before the Doctor could list the reasons, the burly officer punched him across the face, hard. The blow sent him flying into Siwan, both getting thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious.

“Doctor! Siwan!” Rose called in alarm.

Rose hurried to the unconscious pair and patted their faces, trying to rouse them from their unconscious state. The men took the opportunity to cover the old woman with a blanket and usher her to the room door.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Seren yelled, running to the doorway and standing in front of the officers.

Before Seren could do anything, one of the men took her by the arm and tossed her to the side roughly, sending her flying back.

“Seren!” Rose shouted in fear, seeing the tiny woman get thrown to the side like a rag doll.

Tommy caught the Welshwoman before she hit the ground and helped her stand.

“Thanks Tommy. Now go after them.” Seren said, turning and hurrying to Siwan.

Tommy nodded and rushed out of the room while Seren frantically slapped Siwan’s cheeks.

“Siwan, wake up!” She called, Rose doing the same to the Doctor.

Siwan regained consciousness with a groan, sitting up and rubbing her head. The Doctor on the other hand, snapped awake suddenly and sat up as though he hadn’t been knocked out.

“Ah, hell of a right hook!” The Doctor exclaimed, shocking Rose. “Have to watch out for that!”

He quickly got to his feet and ran down the stairs. Seren, Siwan and Rose exchanged exasperated looks and rushed after him.

“Back inside!” Mr. Connolly ordered his family.

“Seren, Rose! Come on!” The Doctor yelled, him and Siwan rushing out of the house.

Seren passed the living room with Rose behind her when she noticed red, buzzing tendrils of electricity coming out of the television.

“Rose, look at the telly.” Seren said, getting the blonde’s attention and heading towards the antique box.

“Seren! Rose! We’re gonna lose them again!” Siwan yelled from outside.

Rose glanced at the front door before looking back at Seren and the TV, seeing the tendrils of electricity get absorbed back into the box. Seren moved the TV around, Rose quickly moving to her side and helping her.

“Come on! They can catch up later!” Siwan told the Doctor, starting her moped and racing off down the road, the Doctor behind her.

Inside, Seren and Rose looked at the back of the TV and saw a current of red electricity buzzing along the aerial before disappearing.

“Magpie Electricals.” Seren read the label.

“What does that mean?” Rose asked, looking confused.

“It means we need to speak with Mr. Magpie.” Seren said.

The two women got to their feet just as the Connolly’s returned to the living room.

“You!” Mr. Connolly shouted angrily, pointing at the god-sisters. “Get the hell out of my house!”

“We’re going, we’re done!” Rose exclaimed as they walked towards the small family.

“It was lovely to meet you Tommy, Mrs. Connolly.” Seren said, smiling warmly at the mother and son before turning to Mr. Connolly and glaring at him. “You, Mr. Connolly, not so much.”

Seren’s glare turned to a smirk as the man’s face turned a particularly nice puce-purple color. Rose giggled at his expression.

“Only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside down.” The blonde told the man. “Shame on you!”

The two women smiled at the shocked Connolly family before racing out of the house, laughing. Seren took Rose’s hand and pulled her down the street towards Magpie’s TV shop.

“Come Rose, hurry up.” Seren called over her shoulder to the blonde, not breaking her running stride.

“I’m gonna break a heel if we keep running!” Rose said. “Not everyone has yours and Siwan’s ability to run in high heels!”

Seren laughed and slowed down her stride slightly, letting Rose catch up to her before they proceeded down the street once again in a slightly more sedate pace.

They reached the shop a short while later and Seren opened the door, letting Rose enter before entering herself. Magpie looked at them nervously, fiddling with the item he was working on.

“Oh, I-I'm sorry, Miss. I'm afraid you're too late.” Magpie said nervously, a slight stammer in his voice. “I was just about to lock the door.”

Seren closed the door behind her, silently signaling that they were staying.

“Yeah? Well, we wanna buy a telly.” Rose said, walking up to the front desk.

“Come back tomorrow.” Magpie said pleadingly. “Please.”

“You’ll be closed, won’t you?” Seren asked, looking around at the TV’s that were mounted on the shelves.

“What?” Magpie asked with a frown, genuinely confused.

“For the big day?” Rose prompted. “The Coronation?”

“Yes, yes, of course. The big day.” Magpie said slowly, shaking his head as though to clear his thoughts. “I’m sure you ladies find somewhere to watch it.” He said reassuringly, once again trying to get them to leave. “Please go.”

“It seems as though half of London’s has a telly.” Seren commented, walking up to the table and standing next to Rose, leaning against the surface. “Considering you’re practically _giving_ them away.”

“I have my reasons.” Magpie said vaguely.

“And what might those be?” Seren asked, raising her eyebrow.

A TV on one of the shelves turned on and a woman’s face appeared. Seren and Rose turned and looked at it, the Welshwoman suddenly feeling uneasy.

“Hungry!” The woman on the screen said. “Hungry!”

Seren’s eyes narrowed and she grabbed Rose’s hand, instinctively standing in front of the younger woman.

“What’s that?” Rose asked, looking at the TV and then back at Magpie.

“It’s just a television. One of these modern programmes.” Magpie said with a shrug. “Now, I really do think you should leave! Right now!”

He walked around the desk and headed to the door, intending to usher the women out.

“Not until you’ve answered our questions.” Seren said firmly, turning around and looking at the older man. “Why are your televisions so cheap?”

“It’s my patriotic duty.” Magpie said quietly. “Seems only right that as many folks as possible get to watch the Coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud! 20 million people they reckon’ll be watching! Imagine that!” Seren and Rose smiled, completely unconvinced by the man’s words. Something was going on and the man was involved. “And 20 million people can’t be wrong, eh? So why don’t you get yourselves back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day?”

Seren cocked her head to the side, pretending to think as Magpie put his hand on the doorknob, ready to open it and send the two women out of his shop.

“Nope!” Seren said, shaking her head. Magpie’s smile faded and he looked at them with a trapped expression on his face. “We’re not leaving until we’ve seen everything.”

“I need to close.” Magpie said quietly, trying once again to get the two women to leave.

“Mr. Magpie, something’s happening out there.” Seren said softly, her tone gentle. “Ordinary people are being struck down and changed, and the only new thing in the house is a television. Your television. What’s going on?”

“I knew this would happen.” Magpie said regretfully, sadly. “I knew I’d be found out.”

Seren looked at him, confused at the sudden change in his mood – going from desperately trying to get them to leave to regretful and sad. Magpie turned back to the door and instead of opening it to usher the women out, he locked it and trapped them inside. Dread filled Seren’s heart and she stepped in front of Rose once more, the younger woman clutching her arm in fear.

“What is all of this about, Mr. Magpie?” Seren asked calmly, staying calm so she wouldn’t frighten Rose any further. “What do you get out of it?”

“For me? Perhaps some peace.” Magpie replied tiredly.

“From what?” Rose asked shakily, gripping Seren’s arm tightly.

“From _her_.” Magpie replied, glancing over at the only active TV screen in the shop.

The two women followed his gaze and looked at the woman on the screen in confusion.

"That's just a woman on the telly.” Rose said in confusion. “That's just a programme.”

“What pretty little girls.” The woman on the screen said.

Rose and Seren stared at the screen in shock.

“Oh _Duw_! Are you talking to us?” Seren asked in shock.

“Yes I'm talking to you, little ones.” The woman on the screen replied. “Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?”

Seren pushed Rose back, away from the TV as much as possible. Rose didn’t fight the push, scrambling back in fear and gripping Seren's arm tightly.

“What are you?” Seren asked the woman on the screen, making sure she was in front of Rose even though the blonde was away from the TV.

“I’m The Wire.” The woman replied. “And I’m hungryyyyyyy!”

The Wire bared her teeth and pinkish-purple bolts of electricity shot out of the screen and encompassed Seren’s face.

“Seren!” Rose screamed in fear.

Seren groaned in pain as the bolts of electrical currents began sucking at her face, feeding on her electrical impulses just as it did Tommy’s Grandmother and all the others.

“Oh! This one is scrumptious!” The Wire moaned delightedly, the currents attached to her face brightening.

“Rose! Go! Find the Doctor and Siwan!” Seren managed to moan out through the pain.

“Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dear.” Magpie said quietly, grunting as Rose pushed him to the side and ran out of the shop, intending to find the Doctor and Siwan. “All settling down to watch the coronation. 20 million people. Things will never be the same again.” He looked away from Seren, unable to bear the sight of something he played a hand in, however reluctantly it was. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

“Goodnight, children, everywhere.” The Wire said with a smile.

“You won’t win.” Seren gasped out.

She let out a final scream before her world went dark and she knew no more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Siwan and the Doctor sat on one side of the table with the two police officers standing on the other side.

The two of them had followed the police car to the same dead end as earlier that day, complete with the same wall-like gate, market wagon and the workmen sweeping the ground… in the dead of night. They proceeded to sneak into the warehouse and managed to discover all the people that had been robbed of their faces locked in a metal cage. It wasn’t long after they discovered the locked citizens that they were caught by the two officers and taken to be questioned about the strange things happening around the city.

"Start from the beginning, tell me everything you know." The slim man said without preamble, resting his palms against the table surface.

“Well, for starters, I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet.” The Doctor said sassily causing Siwan to roll her eyes.

“Don’t get clever with me!” The officer reprimanded him, pointing a warning finger. “You both were there today, at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Oh, you’re connected with this, make no mistake.”

"Well, the thing is, Detective Inspector Bishop…" The Doctor began.

"How do you know my name?” The Detective Inspector interrupted, demanding to know something that he hadn’t informed them of.

“It's written inside your collar." Siwan said, nodding to the man’s shirt collar.

Bishop looked embarrassed and fixed his tie so that his inside collar was covered.

"Bless your mum." The Doctor said with a smirk. "But I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly doing much detective inspecting. Are you?"

"I'm doing everything in my power," Bishop said defensively.

"All you're doing is grabbing those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can." Siwan argued. "Orders from above? Coronation Day, the eyes of the world are on London Town. So any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight."

“The nation has an image to maintain.” Bishop said through clenched teeth.

“You sound like you’re repeating a mantra.” Siwan said bluntly.

Bishop sighed and shook his head, not responding to the comment, though Siwan and the Doctor could tell that it was true.

“But doesn't it drive you mad, doing nothing?” The Doctor asked, doing what he did best – pushing buttons, though in this case it was metaphoric. “Don't you want to get out there and investigate?”

“’Course I do, but…” Bishop said, sitting down wearily. “With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the man power. Even if we did… this is… beyond anything we've ever seen.” He sighed helplessly. The Doctor and Siwan glanced at each other and leaned forward, listening intently. “I just don't know anymore. 20 years on the force, I don't even know where to start. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on.”

“Well… that could change.” The Doctor said.

“How?” Bishop asked, looking at the man.

“Start from the beginning.” The Doctor said as he and Siwan stood up. “Tell us everything you know.”

“We started finding them about a month ago.” Bishop started, standing up and turning to look at the large map that was near his desk. The map had pins scattered across it, indicating where faceless people had been picked up. “Persons left sans visage. Heads just . . . blank.”

“Is there any sort of pattern?” The Doctor asked, pulling out his glasses and putting them on.

“Yes, spreading out from North London.” Bishop replied. “All over the city - men, women, kids, grannies. The only _real_ lead is there's been quite a large number in-”

“Florizel Street.” Siwan finished for him, looking at the map.

All three of them looked up when someone knocked at the door.

“Found another one, sir. Along with this one.” A policeman said, dragging Rose inside the room.

“Let me go!” Rose shouted, struggling in the officer’s grip, not noticing the Doctor or Siwan in the room. “I have to find the Doctor and Siwan! Let me go!” She looked behind her at the open door and into the darkened hallway beyond. “Leave her alone!”

“Rose?” Siwan asked in confusion. “What’s wrong, _Cariad_? What’s the matter?”

Rose whipped around and looked at the Doctor and Siwan, her eyes wide and red with tears continuously pouring down her cheeks without pause.

“Rose, what happened?” The Doctor asked concerned, dropping the file he was holding onto the table.

“She told me to run... to find you both...” Rose sobbed, running to Siwan once the policeman let her go.

“What do you mean? What’s going on, Rose?” Siwan asked with a frown, soothingly rubbing Rose’s back as she hiccupped.

Both of them looked around, trying to find Seren. They exchanged worried looks, dread filling their hearts when there was no sign of her. The officer that brought Rose in left the office, intending to return to his duties.

“Rose, where’s Seren?” The Doctor asked the blonde slowly, his hearts racing in fear.

Just then, another policeman walked in, herding a blanket-covered woman inside. The Doctor’s stomach dropped when he saw the bottom of the familiar light red dress and the light red high heeled sandals. Siwan’s eyes widened, having noticed the same thing.

“Oh, er, good man, Crabtree.” Bishop said to the officer. “Here we are, Doctor, Miss. Siwan.” The Doctor walked passed Rose and Siwan, slowly moving towards the covered figure with trepidation. He didn’t want to believe it, he _couldn’t_ believe it. “Take a good look. See what you can deduce.”

Crabtree removed the blanket and Siwan gasped in horror as the Doctor’s eyes widened, their fear confirmed – it _was_ Seren. Rose sobbed and buried her head in Siwan’s shoulder, the Welshwoman bringing her arms up around the blonde and rubbing her back soothingly. Siwan's movements were automatic and her gaze never moved from her sister.

“Seren Rhosyn.” The Doctor breathed, cupping her face.

Everything was gone – her bright smile, her breathtaking gold-rimmed amethyst eyes, her musical laugh, her brilliant mind – everything that made Seren who she was. All that was left was an empty shell, just like all the others.

“This can’t be happening again.” He breathed heartbrokenly.

Without warning, his mind went back to when he had lost her the first time - laying on the ground with her large gold-rimmed amethyst eyes open and unseeing, the folds of her skirts pooling around her and her long raven blue-black hair fanning out around her still form – her and their daughter both looking as though they were sleeping if not for wounds that covered their bodies and their lifeless eyes.

Siwan frowned when she heard the Doctor’s words, unbiddenly remembering when she and Seren had been mistaken for Time Ladies. She wondered if there was a connection between that time and the Doctor’s words now. For a moment, she wondered why she hadn't felt the connection with Seren break before realizing that it  _hadn't_ broken; Seren _was_ still physically alive. The bond wasn't just emphatic and physiological, it was physical as well.

“Do you know her?” Bishop asked the Doctor, a frown on his face when he saw the man’s reaction.

He had immediately realized that Seren was Siwan’s sister, only an idiot would not notice their identical appearances (even if one was missing her face), but he wondered what the woman meant to the Doctor.

“Know her?” The Doctor repeated faintly. “She’s…”

He trailed off, unsure of how to respond to the question. What was Seren to him? She had been his wife in her past life, but what was she in her current life? A friend, a companion, certainly. But was she something more? He knew he was in love with her, he’d known it since the moment he had seen her dancing in the rain on a planet far away and over a century in the past in his previous incarnation.

The voices around him faded into the background. They were meaningless, everything was meaningless. A few strands of raven blue-black hair escaped from their pins and fell into Seren’s face. He brushed them back, tucking them behind her ear. He remembered when the same action would cause her rosy cheeks to darken with her beautiful blush, would cause her to look up at him with a shy smile on her full lips and her jewel-colored eyes would shine brightly, filled with love and happiness.

He loved those actions, those small gestures that she would make. He loved everything about her, from the way she would berate him for doing something insane to how she would roll her eyes and translate his technobabble into English for those that didn’t understand, from the way she would hold him and comfort him when he had his nightmares about the War to how she would remind him with simple actions that he wasn’t alone, that he had a family who loved him.

All of it was snatched away and it _hurt_. It hurt even worse than it had when he found her laying dead on the ground surrounded by rubble. She was everything to him. His feelings for her now were different than what they had been in her previous life. Last time, she had been his best friend before she became his wife. This time, she was a brilliant light that had shone through his endless darkness and had given him new life to live.

He let out a pained gasp, unable to breathe despite the air that coursed through his lungs. He could feel his hearts breaking despite their continued beating rhythm. He needed her back. More than ever before, he needed her back.

“Where did they find her?” Siwan asked Crabtree, her pain evident in her voice and on her face.

Rose had stopped crying, but she continued to sob, her head still buried in Siwan’s shoulder as the older woman held her.

“They found her in the street, apparently, over by Damascus Road.” Crabtree replied. “Just abandoned.”

Rose burst into a fresh wave of tears and Siwan turned to her, rubbing her back soothingly and making gentle ‘shushing’ sounds.

“That's unusual.” Bishop commented, looking at a file. “That's the first one out in the open.” He glanced at Crabtree. “Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day. We'll have Torchwood on our backs then, make no mistake.”

The voices, which had faded from the Doctor’s perception and to the background, returned full force as Crabtree’s words hit him.

“They did what?” The Doctor asked coldly, interrupting the conversation between the two officers and drawing Siwan and Rose’s attention as well.

“I’m sorry?” Bishop asked.

“They left her where?” The Doctor asked with cold calm.

Rose looked at him warily, watching as the Time Lord’s anger grew with each passing second.

“Just… in the street.” Rose said in a small voice, clinging to Siwan while still looking at him. “She told me to run. To find you and Siwan. But…” Tears streamed down her cheeks once more as she looked at her god-sister. “But I didn’t know where you were! So, I hid in the alley nearby and they tossed her out into the street and then the police came. I wouldn’t let them take her, so they took me as well and…”

Rose slowly worked herself back into hysterics, her words becoming an incoherent until she couldn’t say anything else. Siwan gently tucked Rose’s head back into her shoulder and rubbed her back soothingly, watching the Time Lord, his fury having grown with each word the blonde said.

“In the street.” The Doctor repeated, breathing heavily but speaking in a deadly calm voice. “They left her in the street. They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street. And as a result, that makes things... simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?”

He took off his glasses and looked at the two men, Rose looking up from Siwan’s shoulder.

“No…” Bishop said slowly.

“Because _now_.” The Doctor shouted furiously, the power of the Oncoming Storm swirling within the depths of his brown eyes. “Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this Earth that can stop me.” He looked at Rose and Siwan. “Rose, take care of Seren Rhosyn! Siwan, Come on!”

He kissed Seren’s forehead before turning and stalking out of the office, Bishop behind him. Siwan gently kissed Rose’s cheek before doing the same to Seren and following behind the two men. The three of them exited the warehouse and stepped through the gate, into the rising sun’s golden light.

“The big day dawns.” Bishop said heavily.

The Doctor and Siwan didn’t reply, instead making their way down the road and heading to the home of the one person who could give them answers – Tommy Connolly of Florizel Street.

They reached Tommy’s home a short while later, the walk having been in complete silence with the sun high in the sky. The Doctor reached out and rang the doorbell, only having to wait a few seconds before it was answered by Tommy himself.

“Tommy, talk to us.” The Doctor said without preamble.

Tommy nodded and stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him.

“We need to know exactly what happened inside your house.” Siwan explained, her voice slightly calmer than the Doctor’s but by much.

Before Tommy could reply, the door was violently swung open and Mr. Connolly emerged from the house, rounding on his son.

“What the blazes do you think you’re doing?” Mr. Connolly asked him roughly causing the boy to jerk back instinctively.

“I wanna help, Dad.” Tommy said quietly, looking up pleadingly at his father.

“Mr. Connolly.” The Doctor said warningly.

Nothing and no one was going to keep him from saving Seren. He wasn’t going to lose her again, not now, not ever. The only way he would accept losing her was if she willingly left him, he would accept nothing less. Even still, if she were to leave him willingly, he would still fight for her, until his final dying breath.

“Shut your face, you! Whoever you are!” Mr. Connolly hissed angrily, rounding on the Doctor and Siwan. Neither of them even flinched, only staring coolly back at the well-fed man in front of them “We can handle this ourselves!” He rounded back on Tommy, towering over the shorter boy. “Listen, you little twerp. You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People ‘round here respect me. It _matters_ what people _think_.”

“Is that why you did it, Dad?” Tommy asked, looking at the older man in dawning realization.

“What d’you mean?” Mr. Connolly asked in a quieter voice, taken aback at the question. “Did what?”

“You ratted on Gran.” Tommy said. “How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them.”

“How _dare_ you?!” Mr. Connolly hissed through clenched teeth, angry once more. “You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?”

“You don't get it, do you?” Tommy asked him, shaking his head. “You fought _against_ fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with! Who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me _could_ do what we want, _say_ what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation!”

“Eddie? Is that true?” Mrs. Connolly asked softly, having been drawn out to the doorway by the noise.

She looked at her husband with a heart broken expression while Siwan and the Doctor held back their frustrated sighs. As much as they wanted to hurry things along so they could save Seren, they knew that this was a deciding moment in the Connolly family’s lives and they had to let it play out.

“I did it for _us_ , Rita!” Mr. Connolly said defensively, turning to face his wife. “She was _filthy_. A filthy, disgusting _thing_.”

“She’s my mother!” Mrs. Connolly said in response, looking shocked at his admission. “All the others you informed on? All the people in our street? Our friends?”

“I had to.” Mr. Connolly said, looking around at them, flailing slightly. “I-I did the right thing…”

“The right thing for us? Or for you, Eddie?” Mrs. Connolly questioned him sadly. Mr. Connolly stared at her, unable to respond and watched she turned to their son. “You go, Tommy. Go with the Doctor and Miss. Siwan, do some good. Get away from this house. It's poison.” She looked back at her husband as she said, tears filling her eyes. “We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right… but it weren't my mother!”

Mrs. Connolly turned and went back inside, valiantly holding back her tears as she slammed the door closed on Mr. Connolly’s face.

“Rita?!” Mr. Connolly called weakly.

“Tommy.” Siwan said gently, holding her hand out to the boy.

Tommy spared a final glance his father, staring at the closed door, before taking the outstretched hand. Siwan gently tugged him with her towards the street, walking past the people, all busily preparing for the street party that would follow the Coronation.

“Tommy, tell us about that night.” The Doctor said, a brisk tone in his voice. “The night she changed.”

As they walked, they avoided the children that were running around, playing and enjoying themselves. The adults alternated between preparing for the party and running after the children.

“She was just watching the telly.” Tommy said after a moment’s pause, shrugging.

Siwan and the Doctor stopped and looked at the TV aerials along the rooftops.

“Rose said it and Seren mentioned the strange price.” The Doctor said with wide eyes. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “She _knew_ something was wrong, _of course_ she did!”

“All these TV aerials in one little street.” Siwan said, pointing at the aerials and looking at Tommy. “Why is that?”

"Bloke up the road, Mr. Magpie.” Tommy said, his eyes wide as he stared at the two time-travellers not understanding half of what they had said. “He's selling them cheap."

Tommy had barely uttered the last syllable when the Doctor and Siwan took off down the road.

“Is he now?” Bishop asked Tommy sternly.

“Come on!” The Doctor yelled before Tommy could reply.

At the call, the two ran behind Siwan and the Doctor.

“How can you run in those?” Tommy asked Siwan, glancing down at her high heeled feet as they ran.

“Years of practice!” Siwan replied with a grin.

They reached Magpie’s shop a few minutes later and Bishop tugged on the door, finding it locked.

“We need to get in.” The Doctor said, bending down to pick up a rock.

Siwan pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and used it to pick the lock.

“Hey, you can’t do that…” Bishop protested.

Siwan ignored him and opened the door a few seconds later. She looked back at the three men and saw their jaws hanging open.

“What? We need to get in, it was either pick the lock or let him smash the widow.” Siwan said with a shrug.

“I thought your hair was held back by the blue pin?” The Doctor said, looking at the Welshwoman with a stunned expression and dropping the rock. It wasn’t that she picked the lock that surprised him, but rather that she had a bobby pin in her hair when it was apparently tied back with a coloured clasp.

“Oh, please.” Siwan said with scoff, rolling her eyes. “We learned long ago to always keep bobby pins on hand. You never know when you might need to MacGyver something.”

The Doctor nodded, conceding to her point and entering the shop, becoming focused once again. Tommy and Bishop looked at each other and shrugged, once again not understanding half of what the two travelers had said.

“Shop!” The Doctor yelled, striding to the front desk and ringing the bell repeatedly. “If you're here, come out and talk to us! Magpie!”

“Maybe he’s out.” Tommy suggested.

“Looks like it.” Siwan said, walking around the desk.

The Doctor followed her and the two began pulling open drawers, rummaging through them. She pulled open a drawer at the far end, by the wall, and found a device that looked to be a cross between a radio and a portable TV.

“Hello.” Siwan said, holding up the device and showing it to the three males. “Doctor, what do you make of this?”

She handed the device over to the Time Lord and he looked at it, a frown on his face.

“This isn't right…” The Doctor muttered, looking over the device. “This is very much not right.” He licked the top and Siwan made a face of disgust while Bishop and Tommy looked surprised at the action. The Doctor noticed the expressions and a pang shot through his hearts, knowing that Seren would chide him about licking things before giving him a candy to chase away the taste of whatever he had licked. “Tastes like iron. Bakelite. Put together with human hands, yes, but the design itself…” The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and scanned the device. “Oh, beautiful work - that is so simple.”

"That's incredible." Bishop commented in awe, looking down at the device. "It's like a television… but portable. A portable television!"

The Doctor raised the buzzing screwdriver and pointed around the room, scanning their surroundings. Siwan looked up and saw the TV’s, which had all been off, turned on and displayed static screens.

“It’s not the only power source in this room.” The Doctor said, switching to another setting and scanning the room again.

“Doctor, the TV’s.” She said, gesturing to the screens.

The four of them looked at the TV’s as the static faded away, revealing a black-and-white face on each screen – each one showing a different face, each face terrified and silently calling for help.

They walked to the screens, eyeing the faces sadly as the pleas for help seemed to echo despite being silent.

“Gran?” Tommy breathed, stopping in front of the pleading face of an old woman.

“Seren!” Siwan gasped, seeing the face of her sister on a different TV screen, this one on the bottom shelf and at the end of the row.

She and the Doctor crouched in front of the screen, watching as she mouthed something over and over. Both of them frowned, trying to read the woman’s lips. She wasn’t pleading for help like the rest, she was saying something else.

‘Doctor! Siwan! Be careful!’

The Doctor and Siwan looked at each other once they finally made out the words. The Doctor reached out and touched the screen, right where Seren’s cheek was, his eyes filled with sorrow. The trip had been intended as way to try and cheer them all up after Mickey decided to stay on the parallel world along with being Siwan’s first proper trip in the TARDIS. He had also decided to finally tell her how he felt about her and tell her and Siwan about their past lives, about them being Time Ladies, being his wife and daughter.

“We’re on our way, my love.” He whispered softly running a finger along the screen where Seren’s cheek was.

“We _will_ save you.” Siwan whispered in promise, running her finger along the other side of Seren’s face.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Magpie asked, stepping through the beaded curtain and into the front of the shop.

Siwan straightened up and looked at Magpie, fury building from deep within her as the power of the Mara coursed through her, swimming behind her sapphire orbs. The Doctor shot to his feet and rounded on Magpie, his face thunderous, the power of the Oncoming Storm swirling behind his brown eyes.

“I want my love restored!” The Doctor thundered, stalking up to Magpie and towering over him.

“This is all beyond a little backstreet electrician.” Siwan added, standing beside the Doctor with her arms crossed, her voice and expression calm but holding a quiet anger that was just as frightening as the Doctor’s visible fury. “So tell us, who’s really in charge here?!”

Magpie flinched back from the anger that was directed at him.

“Yoohoo! I think that must be me.” A female voice called.

They all turned to it in surprise and saw that a screen that had held the face of a young boy surrounded by darkness changed to the figure of a middle aged woman dressed elegantly against a studio backdrop.

“Ooh! These two are smart as paint!” The woman on the screen said, looking at the Doctor and Siwan.

Siwan moved to approach the screen, curiosity warring with her fury, when the Doctor reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from getting closer. She stopped moving and stood next to him.

“Is she talking to us?” Bishop asked, looking at Magpie and pointing to the screen with the middle-aged woman on it.

“I’m sorry gentlemen, Miss.” Magpie said, sighing heavily. “I’m-I’m afraid you’ve brought this on your selves. May I introduce you to my new… friend?”

“Jolly nice to meet you.” The woman said with a smile.

“Oh, my God. It’s her!” Bishop exclaimed, looking at the woman properly. “That woman off the telly!”

“No.” Siwan said slowly, shaking her head. “I think it’s just using her image.”

“Exactly.” The Doctor said darkly.

“What?” Tommy said in shock, glancing at the two before looking at the screen. “What are you?”

“I’m The Wire” The woman on the screen, The Wire, replied with a smile. “And I will gobble you up, pretty boy! Every last morsel!” Tommy looked frightened, swallowing audibly. Siwan reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back to stand near her. “And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow-kind denied me!”

As The Wire spoke, the screen gradually became technicoloured, revealing the woman to be dark-haired with a fair complexion wearing a dark blue dress and a string of white pearls.

“Good Lord. Colour television!” Bishop exclaimed, his eyes wide.

“Seriously! You’re more impressed by colour TV than the psychotic alien that wants to eat us?!” Siwan exclaimed, looking at the Detective Inspector incredulously.

"So your own people tried to stop you?" The Doctor asked The Wire before Bishop could respond to Siwan’s question, though he looked sheepish.

"They executed me.” The Wire admitted with a sneer before adding with a smile, "But I escaped, in this form, and fled across the stars."

“And now you’re trapped in the television.” Siwan said with a smirk, causing the screen to fade back to black-and-white as The Wire’s smile faded.

“Not for much longer.” The Wire said with a sneer.

“Doctor, Miss. Siwan, is this what got my Gran?” Tommy asked quietly.

“Yes, Tommy. It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain.” Siwan said nodding, drawing her conclusions from everything that she had learned over the past two days with the Doctor nodding in agreement. “By taking people’s faces, she takes their essences as well. Everything that makes them who they are.”

“But it gorges itself like a great, overfed pig!” The Doctor spat, glaring at The Wire. “It stuffs itself.”

“And you let her do it, Magpie.” Bishop said disappointedly, looking at the shopkeeper.

“I had to!” Magpie exclaimed helplessly. "She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the Time of Manifestation."

“What does that mean?” Tommy asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"The appointed time." The Wire said, grinning. "My _crowning_ glory!"

"Doctor, Miss. Siwan! The Coronation!" Bishop gaped in alarm.

“For the first time in history, millions of people gathered around a television set.” Siwan said, working out The Wire’s plan. She frowned and cocked her head to the side, her mind racing. “But you're not strong enough yet, are you?” She looked around the small shop. “You can't do it all from here.”

“That's why you need this!” The Doctor said, holding up the portable television. “You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver.”

“What clever things you are!” The Wire said, looking at the Doctor and Siwan. “But why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the Coronation. Believe me, you'll be glued to the screen!”

The Wire grinned and sparking lines of red electrical energy lanced out from the screen. The electrical energy shot at the Doctor, Siwan, Tommy and Bishop, pulling at their faces.

“Doctor!” Tommy and Bishop shouted, distressed and pained.

“Hungry! Hungry!” The Wire moaned. “The Wire is hungry! Ah! These ones are tasty!” The Wire groaned and the red currents attached to the Doctor and Siwan grew brighter. “Oh, I'll have lashings of them! Delicious!” The Doctor slowly pulled out his screwdriver from his jacket pocket, pointing it at his face with extreme effort. “Armed!” She gasped when she saw the screwdriver. “He’s armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!”

The Wire severed the connection, the currents pulling away instantly from their faces. The next second, the three men and one woman collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Doctor snapped back to consciousness, sitting up with a groan. Glancing beside him, he jerked back in shock when he saw Detective Inspector laying on the ground faceless, clenching and unclenching his fists. His hearts thudding, he looked beside Bishop and saw that Siwan and Tommy were both all right, aside from being unconscious.

“Siwan, wake up!” The Doctor called loudly, shaking the woman’s leg.

Siwan came to with a groan, years of living on the Council Estates then being with Adam and getting involved in the Game making her a light sleeper. She rubbed her forehead as she sat up.

“Tommy! Wake up!” The Doctor shouted, turning his attention to the boy once Siwan was conscious, “Come on!”

Tommy regained consciousness and sat up, blinking blearily.

“What happened?” Tommy asked with a groan.

“More to the point, where’s Magpie?” Siwan asked, getting to her feet shakily and looking around the shop.

The Doctor and Tommy got to their feet as well and all three ran out of the shop. They looked around in the bright daylight but Magpie was nowhere in sight, the street was completely deserted.

“We don’t even know where to start looking!" Tommy said helplessly. “It’s too late.”

"‘It's never too late!’” The Doctor quoted. “As a wise person once said.”

“Kylie Minogue.” Siwan remarked.

“The Wire's got big plans.” The Doctor said, his brow furrowed in thought. “It'll need… yes, yes, yes. It's gonna harvest half the population!”

“That’s millions and millions of people.” Siwan pointed out. She turned to Tommy and asked, “Where are we?”

“Muswell Hill.” Tommy replied.

“Muswell Hill. Muswell Hill.” The Doctor repeated frowning, trying to remember why the name was so familiar.

“Alexandra Palace!” Siwan exclaimed in realization, looking out in the distance and pointing to a massive building that rose up against the horizon. “The biggest TV transmitter in North London!”

“That’s why it chose this place!” The Doctor exclaimed excitedly. “Tommy!”

“What are you going to do?” Tommy asked, completely confused as the Doctor and Siwan turned back to the shop.

“We’re going shopping.” The Doctor replied, dashing inside the shop with Siwan and Tommy behind him.

Five minutes later, after rummaging through Magpie’s shop and scavenging what they needed followed by a quick stop at the TARDIS to get the final item, the three were racing through the streets towards Alexandra Palace. The Doctor built his contraption as they ran, Siwan and Tommy on either side of him carrying the equipment. They turned a corner a few streets before Alexandra Palace, the massive transmitter pylon looming above them. They stopped their frantic run and Tommy handed the equipment bank he was holding to the Doctor while Siwan plugged the long cord she was holding into it.

“There!” Tommy shouted, pointing up at the pylon.

The Doctor and Siwan looked up to see Magpie climbing the pylon, the portable television slung across his chest.

“Come on!” Siwan yelled and they resumed running, faster than before and trying to get to Magpie in time to stop The Wire.

“Woah, woah, woah!” A uniformed guard called, seeing them approach. “Where do you think-” The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper and held it up as they passed, none of them breaking their stride. "Oh! I'm sorry sir, ma'am! Shouldn't you be at the Coronation?"

“They’re saving us a seat!” The Doctor yelled back.

"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asked as they rounded another corner.

“The King of Begium and the Queen of Denmark, apparently.” The Doctor said, looking at the psychic paper.

“Seriously!” Siwan exclaimed incredulously, looking at him in disbelief as they entered the building.

“Not the time to be picky!” The Doctor cried, pocketing the psychic paper as they ran toward the control room.

As soon as they were inside the control room, the Doctor ran around the room, grabbing pieces of equipment and building a device that would defeat The Wire. Siwan put the equipment bank they had built on their run on top of the console and the Doctor switched it on.

“Keep that switched on.” The Doctor told Tommy, pointing to the equipment bank. “Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?” Tommy nodded, his eyes wide, the Doctor grabbing a coil of copper wire and slinging it across his chest. “Siwan, stay here and make sure no one interferes. Hit them if you have to.”

“Yeah.” Siwan said, nodding. “Be careful.”

The Doctor nodded and ran out of the room, the copper wire leaving a trail behind him like Theseus had done in the Labyrinth. Tommy moved to the equipment bank, fidgeting restlessly as they watched the Coronation on the monitors. The two of them weren’t affected by The Wire’s electrical currents like the rest of the population, though they still made sure a row of consoles was between them and the screens.

“Tommy, relax.” Siwan said soothingly, looking at the restless boy.

“Sorry.” He said sheepishly.

The two of them jumped when the valves on the equipment bank blew.

“That’s not good.” Siwan muttered, waving away the smoke and looking at the machine. “The valve blew.”

“We have a replacement valve.” Tommy said hurriedly.

He rushed to where they had put the spare equipment and rummaged through the box, grabbing the valve and rushing back. Tommy gave her the replacement piece and she switched them out before he hurried around to the consoles. He plugged the equipment back in and stepped back, waiting with baited breath.

They watched as the equipment bank became covered in the red electrical currents for several seconds before fading away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seren took a gasping breath and raised her hands shakily to her face, touching her cheeks. She looked around at her surroundings and saw that she was in an office, a glance out of the window revealing that it was a warehouse office.

“Seren?” Rose asked hesitantly.

Seren whirled around and looked at Rose, the blonde staring at her with wide, red-rimmed eyes and trembling lips.

“Rose.” Seren breathed.

The next second, Seren found herself with her arms full of the blonde, sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder.

“Shh, shh, shh.” Seren crooned softly, running her hand over Rose’s back and holding the younger woman tightly. “It’s okay, I’m okay.”

“Oh, God, I thought I had lost you.” Rose wailed, pulling back and looking down at Seren with tear-filled hazel eyes. “I was so scared, I can’t lose you.”

“Oh, my Flower of Love.” Seren said softly, cupping her face and wiping her tears away with the pads of her thumbs. “You will never lose me. Not ever.”

They hugged each other tightly before letting go and walking out of the office.

“Seren, you should tell the Doctor how you feel.” Rose said quietly as they walked through the warehouse. Seren looked at her in hesitation, uncertain if she should. “Seren, today, I saw just how much you mean to him.”

Seren nodded in understanding, still uncertain but willing to consider it. They were joined by the crowd of people that had been sequestered away, all of them with their faces back. The police officers guided them all out of the warehouse where they were happily greeted by loved ones. Those that couldn’t find their loved ones moved away, heading back towards their homes.

Seren and Rose looked around for Siwan and the Doctor. Rose turned around and looked behind them, a wide smile crossing her face when she saw Siwan and the Doctor. She was about to reach out to Seren and tell her when she saw the Doctor shake his head and raise a finger to his lips. Rose cocked her head to the side and took a few steps back.

Seren didn’t notice the movement, busy scanning the crowd for the man she loved and her sister. She saw Tommy run up to his grandmother and hug her tightly, being hugged in return just as vigorously.

“Rose, do you-” Seren started to ask, a frown on her face when she cut herself off with a startled shriek as she was poked in the ribs. She whipped around and saw the Doctor behind her, smiling brightly. Rose and Siwan, their arms around each other, laughed gaily. “Doctor!” Seren exclaimed joyfully, a bright smile crossing her face and throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

“Seren Rhosyn!” The Doctor said, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and lifting her up, spinning them around in a big circle. He gently put her back on her feet and hugged her tightly, burying his face in her fragrant hair and basking in her natural scent. “I almost lost you.” He said quietly, holding her tightly. “I couldn’t bear it if I lost you again.”

Seren frowned at his words but didn’t say anything, just happy that they were together. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest and savoring the strength of his arms as he held her.

“Okay! My turn to hug my sister!” Siwan said, drawing the pair from their little world.

Seren and the Doctor pulled apart and the two sisters hugged each other tightly while Rose hugged the Doctor.

“Let’s go celebrate!” Seren said with a bright smile, letting go of Siwan and looking at the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor chuckled and wrapped his arm around Seren, unwilling to let her go for too long. Siwan and Rose exchanged grins and giggles as they walked down the road, heading towards Florizel Street. A few feet in front of them, Tommy walked with his Grandmother, the old woman with her arm around the boy.

Reaching Florizel Street, they saw the street party in full swing. There were people all around, dancing and talking, just enjoying the day of celebration while 50's music played in the background. Along the center of the street, a line of tables were set up with food and pastries, cakes and drinks - anything and everything.

"We could go down the Mall, join in with the crowd," Rose suggested, arm-in-arm with Siwan.

The Doctor leaned around Seren and grabbed a piece of Victoria sponge cake.

“Nah. That’s just pomp and circumstance.” He said, taking a bite of the cake before holding it out to Seren. “This is history right here.”

“The domestic approach?” Seren asked with a smile, taking a bite of the offered cake.

“Exactly.” The Doctor said with a grin, squeezing Seren’s shoulders tightly for a brief moment before loosening the grip while still keeping his arm around her.

Rose and Siwan laughed, remembering the previous day and the remark about the domestic approach.

“Will it..?” Rose started hesitantly. “That thing…? Is it trapped for good on video?”

“I hope so.” Siwan muttered. “That is going on my list of Things to Never Experience Again.”

“Amen.” Seren muttered, shuddering slightly.

“Just to be on the safe side though, I’ll use my unrivaled knowledge of trans-temporal extirpation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern.” The Doctor said, squeezing Seren’s shoulders reassuringly.

Rose looked at him with a blank expression while Siwan snorted in amusement.

“He’s going to tape over it.” Seren subtitled, amusement etched across her fair features.

“Just leave it to me, I’m always doing that!” Rose said with a laugh.

The four of them stopped beside Tommy, the Doctor and Seren on one side of the boy while Rose and Siwan on the other.

“Tell you what Tommy, you can have the scooter.” The Doctor said, letting go of Seren and leaning back against the table. “Little present.” Seren crossed her arms and gave the Time Lord a pointed look, her eyebrow raised. Catching the look, the Doctor hurriedly amended his words, “Best...um...keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?"

Tommy gave a small smile before catching sight of something over the Doctor’s shoulder.

“Good riddance.” The boy said, gesturing to what he had seen.

The four of them looked over to where Tommy was looking and saw Mr. Connolly. The stern man was walking down the street, away from the party, with his coat and hat on, a suitcase in his hand.

“Is that it then, Tommy?” The Doctor asked, a serious expression on his face. “New monarch, new age, new world. No room for a man like Eddie Connelly.”

“That’s right.” Tommy said with a nod. “He deserves it.”

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks, sensing the love the boy still held for his father despite the man’s actions.

“Tommy, go after him.” Seren said softly, looking up at the teenaged boy who stood several inches taller than her.

“What for?” He asked, looking confused.

“He’s your Dad.” Siwan said, speaking just as softly.

“He’s an idiot.” Tommy said bluntly.

Seren and Siwan chuckled lightly at his words.

“I’m not going to argue with that.” Seren said gently, cupping Tommy’s cheek with one hand and brushing his hair to the side with the other. “But you are clever. Clever enough to save the world. Don’t you think your father deserves a chance to be saved as well?”

Tommy smiled and covered Seren’s hand with his own for a moment before leaning down and kissing her cheek.

“Thank you.” He whispered before running after his father.

The Doctor stood up and wrapped his arm around Seren’s waist, holding her close. They turned and watched with gentle smiles on their faces as Tommy caught up to his father and walked beside him. A few seconds later, Tommy took Mr. Connolly’s suitcase and held it as they continued to walk down the street. The Doctor picked up a glass of juice and handed it to Seren before handing another to Rose and Siwan, keeping one for himself. The four clinked their glasses together and drank the handmade orange juice.

Siwan had just finished her juice when a young man came up to her.

“May I have a dance, Miss.” The man asked, holding a hand out to the sapphire-eyed Welshwoman.

“Sure.” Siwan said with a smile, putting her glass on the table and taking the man’s hand.

He led her to a small crowd of dancing people and proceeded to lead her around the makeshift dance floor, not in any particular dance but rather a free expression of movement.

The Doctor looked at Seren with a grin and held his hand out to her.

“Will you dance with me?” He asked.

“Absolutely.” Seren said with a bright smile, putting her glass down and taking his hand.

He led her to the dancing crowd and spun her around before taking her hands. He led her around the floor in gentle, swaying movements, just enjoying the feel of having her with him.

Several minutes later, she felt him become tense, though not because of any external factor. Seren looked up and saw the almost pensive expression on his face as he gazed at her. His eyes, the warm brown that she loved just as much as she loved the blue of his previous incarnation, were filled with hesitation and worry.

“What is it?” Seren asked softly as they swayed with the music, bringing her hand up and running her fingers gently over his smooth cheek. “What has you so tense?”

“I almost lost you today.” He said softly. “I thought I was going to lose you and I-” He cut himself off and closed his eyes against the memory of seeing her faceless, a shell of herself. He opened his eyes again and looked at her with tears shinning in them. “I couldn’t live with myself if I never told you.”

“Told me what?” Seren asked, a small frown of confusion on her face.

They stopped dancing and the Doctor cupped her face gently. Both were completely unaware of the crowd around them that had also stopped dancing, watching the pair with curiosity mixed with gentle and fond smiles.

“I love you.” The Doctor said simply, looking into her bright gold-rimmed purple doe eyes.

Seren looked at him in shock, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Slowly, the shock faded and a smile crossed her lips, the radiance brighter than the sun.

“I love you, too.” She said, a delicate blush filling her rosy cheeks.

The Doctor smiled down at her, his own smile bright enough to outshine the sun.

“What are you waiting for?” A man called out, alerting the pair to the crowd that surrounded them. “Kiss her!”

The Doctor and Seren looked back at each other, gentle smiles playing on their faces. Slowly, they leaned in towards each other and their lips met in a sweet kiss.

As soon as their lips met, the crowd around them erupted in cheers and wolf-whistles, none louder than Rose and Siwan.

_Links:_

_*Seren/ Siwan outfit, jewelry, shoes and purse (Seren in light red and Siwan in light blue) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475677669/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475677669/)

 _*Seren hairstyle -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879474491452/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879474491452/)

 _*Siwan hairstyle -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/312366924139130856/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/312366924139130856/)

 


	10. Interlude: A Painful Confession

** Interlude: A Painful Confession **

The Doctor walked through the TARDIS’ halls, a small chest in his hands. They had left London, 1953 a few hours ago and Rose wasted no time in going straight to her room to sleep, completely exhausted from the events that had surrounded their trip. Seren and Siwan on the other hand were wide awake and decided to enjoy long showers in the hope that it would relax them enough so they could get some sleep.

The Time Lord’s mind wandered to the kiss he had shared with Seren and their admissions of love in London, 1953. He knew, before they could go any further, before they could explore the possibility of a relationship regardless of being in love with one another, he had to tell her and Siwan the truth. The truth about Astraea and Aludra, his wife and daughter. He hoped, _prayed_ , that the two would still accept him, the way they had accepted everything else that had been sent their way over the past year and a half. He hoped that Seren would still accept his love for her, love he knew to be true to _her_ and who she _is_ , not as an echo for who she _was_.

In no time at all, yet what also seemed far too long, he found himself in front of Seren’s bedroom door, left slightly ajar with hers and Siwan’s voices seeping out and into the hall.

Siwan’s bedroom was directly across from Seren’s while the Doctor’s own room was directly beside it, a door connecting the two rooms. Rose’s bedroom was a few corridors away along with the one that had once belonged to Mickey across from hers (sealed since the man’s decision to stay on the parallel world). All of his Companions had their own rooms in different parts of the TARDIS. Each one would be sealed closed when the Companion in question no longer traveled with him, regardless of whether the decision was willing or not, opening only when (or if) they return to the TARDIS.

What had startled the Doctor, back when Seren had decided to continue traveling with him after the incident with the Slitheen in March 2006, was that Idris had given the Welshwoman the room that had once belonged to Astraea. It was only after Seren had changed due to the feedback of the Sycorax’ murder on Christmas that he realized what Idris had already seen from the beginning.

Now it was time to tell the two women the truth – they were the reincarnations of his wife and daughter, the reason why they were _both_ Chosen Ones of the Mara.

Steeling his resolve, the Doctor knocked on the slightly open door, the move making the door open further and reveal the two sisters inside the purple and gold themed room. Seren was on the bed, laying on her front and reading a book with her ankles swinging lightly in the air above her while Siwan was sitting cross-legged on the floor with her laptop open on her lap.

Hearing the knock, both women looked up and a bright smile crossed Seren’s face when she saw him.

“Doctor.” Seren said, sitting up and putting the book to the side. Her smile faded when she saw his worried expression and tense posture. “Is everything okay?”

She was dressed in a short-sleeved, floor-length maxi dress tie-dyed in various shades of purple*. She had her hair open, tumbling around her body in a cascade of silken curls and was barefoot.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about.” The Doctor said quietly, entering the room. Seeing Siwan stand up and make a move to leave, he added, “To both of you.”

“What is it?” Siwan asked in concern, seeing the way he was holding the chest in his hands tightly.

She was dressed in a spaghetti-strapped, floor-length maxi dress tie-dyed in various shades of blue*. She had her hair open and falling around her body in a waterfall of silken curls, her glasses perched on her nose and was also barefoot like her sister.

“Something I probably should have told a long time ago, but I didn’t know how.” The Doctor said quietly.

Seren gently guided him to the bed and he sat down, moving back so that he was in the middle of the bed. Seren sat down beside him with Siwan sitting on his other side.

“I don’t know where to even start.” He said quietly.

“The beginning usually works.” Seren said lightly, trying to lighten the tenseness in his posture.

“Yeah, I guess that would work.” The Doctor said with a laugh, relaxing slightly. The laughter faded and he sighed, gripping the chest in his lap, the gesture noticed by both women. “Remember when we had that case at Deffry Vale? When you both were referred to as Time Ladies by Sarah Jane and by Mr. Finch?”

“Yes.” The two women said slowly, in unison.

“To put it simply, you both _are_ Time Ladies.” The Doctor said. “At least, you are the reincarnations of two Time Ladies that I knew. Astraea and Aludra.”

“What happened to them?” Siwan asked quietly.

“They died.” He replied quietly, his voice filled with pain. “In the Time War. They were among the first who died, their death drove me to fight to end it.”

“Who were they to you?” Seren asked, her heart aching for him.

“My wife and daughter respectively.” The Doctor said, tears streaming down his face. “Seren, you are Astraea’s reincarnation and Siwan, you are Aludra’s.”

At his words, Seren and Siwan stared at him, completely stunned. They looked at each other mutely before looking back at the Time Lord, their thoughts racing.

Did he mean…? He couldn’t mean…? Could he?

At their silence, he continued, _needing_ them to know.

“That isn’t to say that you _are_ them, you are you own person. Seren,” He turned to the stunned woman he loved. “My feelings for you are not influenced at all by my love for Astraea. I fell in love with you before I even _considered_ the possibility of reincarnation.”

“When did you realize that we were their reincarnations?” Siwan asked, seeing that Seren was still completely stunned.

“At Christmas.” He admitted. ”When the two of you changed. That was when I knew.”

“That was _months_ ago.” Seren said, finally finding her voice.

“I know.” He said with a quiet sigh. “At first, I feared that my feelings for you were a transference because of my feelings for Astraea. Though you are her reincarnation, you are your own person. I was also afraid that you wouldn’t be able to handle it, the knowledge of being reincarnated. Your sister in this life was your daughter in your past life. I was afraid to take the chance that it might be the one thing you couldn’t handle.”

“I’ll admit, finding out that my sister was once my daughter is a bit much.” Seren said. “But I have loved you through your regeneration, I love you even after learning this.”

She looked at him with firm and determined eyes, her honesty and sincerity shining brightly in the swirling orbs as was her deep love for him. She leaned up and kissed him chastely, expressing her emotions with the action. He kissed her back just as chastely, responding to the emotions and expressing his own.

“Although, it makes sense.” Siwan said slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face as Seren and the Doctor broke apart and looked at her. “Why we are both Chosen Ones when it has never before happened twice in a generation.”

“Even though you were reborn as sisters, your bond is still that of mother and daughter.” The Doctor said with a nod, repeating what he had told Sarah Jane.

“This is a lot to take in.” Seren admitted softly, playing with her perception filter ring. She glanced down at it and remembered when she had worn a diamond ring with it. “The ring you had given me, the diamond ring, was that-?”

“Astraea’s, _your_ , engagement ring?” The Doctor finished. “Yes, it was. And the gold ring Idris had me wear when we were in 1879 was once my wedding ring.”

“And this ring that she’s wearing now?” Siwan asked, gesturing to Seren’s right hand. “The perception filter ring?”

“It was once your wedding ring.” The Doctor said with a nod, taking Seren’s hand and holding it, interlocking their fingers and letting the ambient lighting glint off the ring. “Idris was able to turn it into a perception filter. "Mind you, it can’t be done for everything, but there was enough psychic residue on the ring from when Astraea had worn that allowed it to be done.”

"Will we remember our past lives?" Seren asked curiously.

"You might, yeah." The Doctor said, nodding thoughtfully. "It may come in bits and pieces, it may come all at once or it may not come at all."

"You'll just have to be there to help us through it." Seren said resolutely, squeezing their interlocked fingers.

The Doctor gave a laugh of relief, squeezing Seren's hand tightly in response. While she had told him that she still loved him and accepted what he had told her, previous statement showed him without a doubt that she was never planning on leaving him.

“And here I am thinking _my_ love life was complicated.” Siwan muttered, shaking her head. “I’m only in love with the oldest Immortal, who once rode with the Four Horsemen as Death and is quite literally a Jack of all Trades, complete with the paperwork to back up any career!”

Siwan let out an exasperated sigh and kissed the Doctor’s cheek in silent acceptance before getting off the bed. She gathered her laptop and headed towards the door, the Doctor and Seren watching her go.

“I’m gonna go back to my room.” The sapphire-eyed Welshwoman said. “You two need some time alone, as a new couple and as an old one.” She looked at the Doctor. “Doctor, it may be a lot to take in, but we’re family. We were once a family by blood in the past and right now we are a family by love. No matter what, we stick together, always.”

“Always.” The Doctor and Seren echoed back in unison.

“You can talk about this to Adam if you want.” The Doctor said, knowing that the woman would want to keep the number of secrets in her relationship with the man she loved to a complete minimum.

“Thanks.” Siwan said, smiling at the two of them.

She turned back around and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

“We’re going to need to tell Rose.” Seren said after a few minutes of silence. “Maybe not Aunt Jackie, Rhi and Johnny right away, since we’re in the Vortex and they’re on Earth, but we do need to tell Rose.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“What’s in the chest?” She asked him, looking at it curiously.

“Mementos that have survived over the years.”

The Doctor opened the small chest, revealing it to be bigger on the inside like almost everything else that had Time Lord Science involved.

Inside were photographs - of her and the Doctor in his previous incarnations (from the First incarnation to the Eighth incarnation during which she and Aludra/ Siwan had died) dressed in various clothing’s of the different time periods, of Aludra wearing in different style dresses to match whichever time period they were in, of all three of them together, the three of them with the Doctor’s Companions; there were some small hair pins that clearly had once belonged to Aludra; awards, certificates and mementos that had belonged to their children and grandchildren when they were small along with dozens of other small keepsakes that helped the Doctor keep the memory of his loved ones alive.

Seren put the items back in the chest gently and closed it. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, seeing the pain and sorrow swimming in his eyes.

“I love you.” She said softly. “I will always love you, forever.”

“Forever.” He repeated softly, taking the box and putting it to the side.

He leaned in and kissed her gently and softly.

_ Links: _

_*Seren maxi dress (shades of purple) -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479971001/> _

_*Siwan maxi dress -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/23643966777758064/> _


	11. The Impossible Planet

** The Impossible Planet **

The TARDIS materialized in a small, tight area, landing with an almost sickly wheeze as though something was wrong with her.

“I wonder what’s wrong with her.” The Doctor said worriedly as he stepped out of the TARDIS with Seren, Siwan and Rose behind him. He put a hand on the side panel, rubbing the wood gently. “She’s sort of queasy. Indigestion, like she didn’t want to land.”

Seren and Siwan looked around the tight space they were in, some kind of storage area. They both frowned, feeling as though something was not quite right about where they had landed.

Seren was dressed in short black tank top with thick spaghetti straps and a bedazzled sweetheart neckline that reached her waist and showed off her toned abdomen with a pair of snug, form-fitted low-ride jeans hanging low on her hips* and a pair of black 5” high heeled ankle boots* beneath the denim trousers. She had a pair of small diamond studs in her ears and her perception filter ring on her right ring finger, her hair tied up in a high pony at the crown of her head, tied back with a silver ribbon.

Siwan was dressed in a short black top with a round neckline and long lace sleeves covering the back of her palms that reached her waist and showed off her toned abdomen with a pair of snug form-fitted low-ride jeans hanging low on her hips* and a pair of black and nude 5” high heeled ankle boots*. She had a pair of small onyx studs in her ears and her hair tied up in a milkmaid braid over the top of her head with a few curled strands left loose on either side of her face*.

"Oh, if you think there's gonna be trouble," Rose began seriously. "We could always get back inside and go somewhere else..."

Rose and the Doctor looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into peals of laughter, finding the notion to be completely absurd. Both of them stopped laughing when they noticed that neither Seren nor Siwan had joined in the laughter, instead looking around the tight space with matching, uneasy frowns.

“Seren Rhosyn? Siwan? What’s the matter?” The Doctor asked, looking at the two in concern.

“I don’t know. Something feels wrong about this place.” Seren said, her brow furrowed.

“I think, this time, we should leave.” Siwan said, wrapping her arms around herself.

The Doctor bit his lip, torn for a moment between heeding the twins’ instinctive feeling and wanting to find out what had Idris feeling so  _queasy_.

Rose watched the twins, a part of her becoming worried about the Welshwomen’s instinctive feelings. She bit her lip and wondered what the Doctor would say, if he would heed the feeling or not. The three had told her about how Seren and Siwan were reincarnated Time Ladies, explaining why they were both Chosen Ones and while a part of her was jealous at how the twins were now even more ‘special’ than before, another part of her, the part that had grown up over the past few months of travelling, realized that it was also another thing that set the two apart from their loved ones. Her heart ached at the realization and when she was in the privacy of her own room, she cried for her beloved god-sisters and the pain their lives were filled with, the pain they would continue to face until they met their final deaths.

The Doctor wrapped his arm comfortingly around Seren’s waist and took Siwan’s hand in his own, looking at them both earnestly.

“How about this, we go and explore, but at the first sign of trouble, we leave?” He suggested.

“Promise?” Seren asked in a small voice, looking up at him with scared eyes.

“I promise.” He said firmly, looking back at her in resolution.

At the Time Lord’s promise, the twins nodded in agreement and the Doctor squeezed Siwan’s hand before letting go. He pressed a light kiss to Seren’s temple, sweet and comforting then looked around the storage room.

“I think we’ve landed inside a cupboard.” He commented.

“Storage area.” Seren and Siwan corrected automatically in unison.

He looked at them and pouted theatrically and the three women giggled at his expression.

“Here we go.” The Doctor said, letting go of Seren’s waist and going to the door, pushing it open.

 _“Open Door 15.”_ A computerized voice said.

They stepped through the door and into a junction with a few doors around them, leading to different areas of the structure they were in. Around them, they could hear wind howling violently.

“We’re on some sort of base.” Seren commented, looking around and noting the interior design of the structure.

 _“Close Door 15.”_ A computerized voice said when Rose closed the door behind them.

"Moon base, sea base, space base..." The Doctor added in agreement. "They build these things out of kits."

“Glad we’re indoors.” Rose commented, listening to the sound of the howling winds around them. “Sounds like a storm out there.”

Siwan made a sound of agreement, nodding and looking up at the ceiling. The Doctor opened the door nearest to them.

_“Open Door 16.”_

They stepped through the door and into a long, narrow corridor, lit with fluorescent lighting along the walkway with another door at the end.

“Human design.” The Doctor continued, referring to the structure as they walked along the corridor. He had his arm around Seren’s waist again while Rose and Siwan walked behind them, all four taking in their surroundings while the twins suppressed their feelings of unease. “You've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier.”

They reached the end of the corridor and the Doctor pushed open the door.

_“Open Door 17.”_

They stepped through the doorway and into a canteen-like area.

"Oh, it's a sanctuary base!" The Doctor exclaimed as he and Seren strode into the middle of the room, looking around as Rose closed the door behind them. “Deep Space exploration.”

_“Close Door 17.”_

“We very far out.” Seren commented softly.

“Listen, there’s something underneath.” Siwan said, straining her ears to listen to the sound that had caught her attention.

The Doctor and Rose paused, straining their ears as well to try and catch the sound – a continuous whirring hum of a drill. Seren’s gaze fell on black wording graffitied onto the far wall behind the Doctor and she froze after reading it, her eyes going wide.

“Someone’s drilling.” The Doctor said, looking at the floor beneath his feet.

“Welcome to Hell.” Seren said quietly, looking at the wall that had caught her attention.

"Oh, it's not  _that_ bad!" The Doctor said, looking at her.

Seren shook her head mutely and pointed a shaking finger at the wall behind him. The Doctor, Siwan and Rose slowly turned to look at the wall, their eyes going wide at the words that were scrawled against the white wall in black ink.

‘WELCOME TO HELL.’

Beneath it, ancient symbols were written in vertical lines, forming a kind of passage or paragraph.

“Hold on…” The Doctor said, his wide eyes expression becoming a frown when his gaze fell onto the symbols. “What does that say?” He strode over to the wall, the three women close behind and crouched down, peering closely at the writing. "That's weird. It won't translate."

"But I thought the TARDIS translated everything, writing as well.” Rose said, confused. “We should see English."

“If it’s not working, then this writing must be old.” Seren commented, glancing at the Doctor for a moment before looking back at the ancient text.

“Exactly.” The Doctor said, nodding in agreement though the frown was still on his face. “It’s very old. Impossibly old.” He got to his feet and went to the door beside them. “We should find out who’s in charge.” He spun the wheel to open the door. "We've gone beyond the reach of the TARDIS' knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough..."

_“Close Door 19.”_

The door opened to reveal a small number of aliens on the other side. The four time-travellers gasped in shock at the sight and stumbled back a few steps.

The aliens were white, with tentacles dangling over their mouths, slanted eyes, dressed in grey jumpsuits with a white orb held in their black-gloved hands, connected to their mouths by a wire.

"Right!" The Doctor said brightly as he tried to regain his composure. Seren, Siwan and Rose clung to his arms, the twins’ feeling of unease growing at the sight of the aliens. "Hello! Sorry! Uh… I was just saying, uh... nice base!"

"We must feed." The aliens said in unison, the orbs in their hands glowing.

"You're gonna what?" The Doctor asked.

"We must feed." They repeated.

"Yeah. I think they mean us." Rose said, swallowing hard as the four of them backed away from the advancing aliens.

“We must feed.” The aliens repeated in unison.

The four travellers edged backwards and spun around, heading for the door they had just come through. But the door opened and more aliens came through.

“We must feed. We must feed. We must feed.”

The four of them were herded to the middle of the room while all around them, the doors opened and more aliens came through. The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and held it out while Rose picked up a chair and the twins got their Bo Staffs out and extended.

“We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed.” The aliens repeated, advancing towards them. “We must feed. We must feed. We must feed.”

The group were slowly herded backwards and pressed against the wall.

“We must feed.” One of the aliens said. It looked down and shook the orb in its hand before looking back at the travellers. “You. If you are hungry.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Seren asked, retracting her Bo-Staffs and looking at the alien in confusion, mirrored by the other three.

"We apologise. Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems." The alien explained apologetically while Rose put the chair back down at the table and Siwan retracted her Bo Staffs. "Would you like some refreshment?"

"Um..." The Doctor started before trailing off, perplexed. He lowered his screwdriver, putting it back in his pocket while the twins tucked their Bo-Staffs into their jean back pockets (instead of back into their purses) ready to use should the need arise.

_"Open Door 18."_

A door opened and an older man walked through, flanked by a young man and a dark-skinned woman, both holding guns and had an almost soldier-like bearing. He stopped short when he saw them and gaped.

“What the hell?” The older man said in shock. “How did…” He trailed off and walked toward them, through the group of aliens. He stared at them in complete shock as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Behind him were the two armed people, also staring at the travelers in shock. He lifted his arm and brought it to his mouth, speaking into the communications device that was strapped to his wrist. “Captain...you're not going to believe this. We've got  _people_. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean four...living...people. Just standing here, right in front of me."

Seren, Siwan, the Doctor and Rose exchanged looks, not entirely sure what to make of the man’s words or the absolute incredulous tone of his voice. The Doctor reached down and took Seren’s hand, holding it tightly.

 _"Don't be stupid, that's impossible."_ A man’s voice replied through the communicator.

“I suggest telling  _them_ that.” The old man said back before lowering his arm, his gaze never moving from the four travelers.

"But you're a sort of space base.” Rose pointed out. “You must have visitors now and then. It can't be that impossible."

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?" The man asked roughly.

“No idea!” Seren said, shaking her head.

"It's more fun that way!" The Doctor added with a manic grin, making Seren roll her eyes in exasperated fondness.

 _"Stand by, everyone."_ A young woman’s voice called over the P.A. system. _"Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake 0.5 on its way."_

The base began to shake and the old man stopped interrogating them. Instead, he ran to the door he and his comrades had come through and hurriedly opened it.

“Through here!” He said urgently, looking back at them. "Now! Quickly, come on!”

Sirens began sounding through the base and the quartet ran forward, following the man through the doors with the other two soldiers bringing up the rear. They ran through the connecting corridor as the shaking began to get more violent, the Doctor holding Seren close to him as Rose held Siwan’s hand tightly.

Seren held the Doctor’s hand tightly, vividly remembering when the TARDIS had fallen through the Void and into the parallel world, remembering what it felt like when the Vortex disappeared.

"Move it!" The man shouted urgently from behind them. "Come on! Come on, come on!" Sparks flew everywhere and the conduits above their heads exploded. Siwan tightened her grip on Rose’s hand, pulling her closer, when the blonde nearly fell over from the force of the shaking. "Move it, come on! Quickly! Move it!"

They rushed down the corridor, careful to avoid the sparks that were flying everywhere, and barged through the door at the end. The quartet stopped just inside the room and saw that they had entered the control room for the base. There were various men and women rushing about, all busily working at various consoles and joined by the elderly man and his two soldiers. Three of the crew members, a fair-skinned man, a fair-skinned woman and a dark-skinned man, were at the main console in the middle of the room.

The three looked up and their jaws dropped open in shock when they saw the Doctor, Seren, Siwan and Rose. The Doctor beamed widely at them while Seren and Siwan had their gentle ‘professional’ smiles on their faces. Rose looked around nervously, tightly gripping Siwan’s hand with her own.

"Oh, my  _God._ " The dark-skinned man said, gaping. "You meant it."

"People!" A young fair-skinned woman commented in surprise, the same woman who had made the announcement over the P.A. system. "Look at that! Real people!"

"That's us.” The Doctor said with a chuckle. “Hooray!"

"Yeah, definitely real." Rose said smiling at them, the grip on Siwan’s hand the only indication of her nervousness. "My name's Rose, Rose Tyler." She waved then motioned to Seren and Siwan. "These are my god-sisters, Seren and Siwan Jones. And this the Doctor."

Seren, Siwan and the Doctor waved at the crew who were still staring in shock.

"Come on..." A young, shaggy-haired man of Indian descent said, striding over to them. "The oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be...no. They're real!"

"Come  _on_ , we're in the middle of an alert!" The dark-skinned man shouted, shaking himself from his shock, "Danny, strap up, the quake's coming in! Impact in 30 seconds!" The mentioned seconds appeared on a computer screen above the main console and began to count down as he turned to the quartet, "Sorry, you four, whoever you are. Just...hold on. Tight."

“Hold on to what?” Seren asked.

"Anything. I don't care. Just hold on.” The man replied before looking away. “Ood, are we fixed?"

Rose and Siwan grabbed on to a railing in front of the door while Seren grabbed onto the one across from them. The Doctor stood behind Seren and grabbed the railing around her, locking her into place with his body.

"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated." The alien, the  _Ood_ , replied.

“What’s this planet called, anyway?” The Doctor asked.

"Now, don't be stupid. It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name?" The older fair-skinned woman replied. The Doctor, Seren and Siwan raise an eyebrow in unison and looked at her, their confusion clear on their faces.  "You really  _don't_ know, do you?"

“And… _impact_!” The dark skinned man cried.

The entire base began to shake violently. Everyone clung tightly though it was over fairly quickly. The Doctor let go of the railing when the shaking stopped.

“Oh, well that wasn’t so-” The Doctor started, getting cut off when the base began shaking again suddenly.

The Doctor was thrown back as the base shook even more violently than before. Seren shrieked in alarm as her hold on the railing slipped and she was thrown back, landing against the Doctor. He wrapped one arm around her waist and grabbed onto the railing with the other. The Doctor gripped the railing tightly while Seren clung desperately to him, unable to reach the railings herself.

Around them small sparks flew and a small explosion erupted on one of the consoles. Everyone clung tightly, desperately, as they fought against being tossed around like rag-dolls from the force of the violent shaking.

Finally, the shaking stopped. By that point, the Doctor was on his back and holding onto the railing with Seren on top of him, while Rose and Siwan were clinging tightly to the railing with white-knuckled hands and breathing heavily.

"Okay, that's it." The dark-skinned man stated, breathing heavily. The older man who had brought the quartet to the control room quickly went around the room, putting out the fires that had erupted. "Everyone alright? Speak to me, Ida?"

“Yeah! Yeah!” The older fair-skinned woman called.

“Danny?” The dark-skinned man called.

“Fine.” The Indian descended man said.

"Toby?"

"Yeah, fine." The fair-skinned young man in a light blue sweater called.

"Scooti?"

"No damage.” The fair-skinned young woman replied.

"Jefferson?"

"Check!" The older man that had first encountered the quartet called.

"We're fine, thanks, fine.” The Doctor said snarkily. “Yeah, don't worry about us."

The Doctor slowly got to his feet and helped Seren up while Rose and Siwan helped each other. All four of them held onto the railings as they regained their equilibrium following the quake and checked each other over.

 

"The surface caved in." The dark-skinned man stated, bringing up a schematic of the base on the screen for everyone to see, "I deflected it onto Storage 5 through 8. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

"That's not my department…" Toby began argumentatively.

Not seeing anywhere they could sit, the Doctor and Rose sat down on the step in front of the door while Siwan perched on the railing and Seren sat between the Doctor’s legs on the floor. All around them, the metal creaked and groaned under the force of the howling storm outside.

"Just do as I say, yeah?" The dark-skinned man ordered, irritation clear on his face.

Toby sighed and grudgingly left the room, stepping between Rose and the Doctor. The four travellers exchanged looks, sensing the tension between Toby and the rest of the crew.

"Oxygen holding." Ida reported, looking at one of the computer screens. "Internal gravity 56.6. We should be okay."

Rose looked around, the noise of the winds and the sounds of the metal creaking unnerving her. She whimpered quietly and Seren took her hand, holding it reassuringly.

"Never mind the earthquake, that's...that's one hell of a storm.” Rose muttered, just loud enough to be heard. She looked at the crew members, asking, “What is that, a hurricane?"

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane." Scooti said, shaking her head. "There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum."

“Then what’s shaking the roof?” Siwan asked, a frown on her face as her unease grew. A glance at Seren showed that she, too, was just as uneasy though she tried to conceal it.

“You’re not joking. You really don’t know.” Ida said in realization, blinking at them. “Well… introductions. FYI, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, Science Officer." She pointed to the dark-skinned man. "Zachary Cross Flane, Acting Captain, sir! You've met Mr. Jefferson, he's Head of Security.” She gestured towards Jefferson who nodded at them. “Danny Bartock. Ethics Committee."

“Not as boring as it sounds.” Danny added causing the quartet to grin at him, Seren and Siwan pushing their unease to the side for the moment.

"And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, Archaeology, and this..." Ida walked over to Scooti and put her hands on the younger woman’s shoulders, "is Scooti Manista, Trainee Maintenance." Scooti smiled at them while Ida walked over to a set of controls. "And this...this is home." She pulled the lever and a whirring noise began sounding around them.

“Brace yourselves.” Zachary warned the quartet. “The sight of it sends some people mad.”

The room was bathed in a reddish-orange light as the overhead shutters pulled apart to reveal a white hot, angry, disc with a black center and black dots falling into it.

It was a Black Hole. Right above them.

All four travelers got to their feet and looked up at the Black Hole – Rose with amazement etched across her features, the Doctor with amazement mixed with disbelief while Seren and Siwan looked uneasy again.

“Th-That’s a Black Hole.” Rose stammered, pointing up at it.

"But that's impossible..." The Doctor said in disbelief.

"I did warn you." Zachary remarked.

“We're standing under a Black Hole!” Seren exclaimed, her eyes wide and her posture tense with her unease.

“In orbit.” Ida told them.

“But we can’t be.” The Doctor breathed, once again in disbelief.

“You can see for yourself. We're in orbit.” Ida said adamantly.

Siwan peered at the Black Hole with a frown on her face, her head cocked to the side as she pushed passed her unease at the sight and studied it closely.

“But we  _can’t_ be.” The Doctor repeated firmly, looking over his shoulder at Ida.

“Doctor, we  _are_ in orbit.” Siwan said softly, drawing their attention to her. She looked at him, a frown on her face. “We’re in perpetual geostationary orbit around the Black Hole without falling in.”

“How did you know that?” Ida asked, looking at the tiny Welshwoman in shock.

“Well,  _we’re_ not moving but everything else around us is. We are directly in the path of everything that is getting sucked in to the Black Hole.” Siwan explained quietly, looking at Ida.

"Us being in orbit around a Black Hole…" Rose said, looking at the Doctor worriedly. "That's bad, yeah?"

“Bad doesn't cover it.” The Doctor said with a sigh, reaching out and drawing Seren to him, holding her tightly as she melted in his embrace.

“A Black Hole's a dead star.” Seren explained, turning her head so she could look at Rose without moving from the Doctor’s embrace. “It collapses in on itself, in and in and in.”

“Until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too.” The Doctor continued.

“Nothing in the universe can escape it.”

“Light… gravity… time.”

“Everything just gets pulled inside… and crushed.”

“Do you always do that?” Danny asked, eyeing the Doctor and Seren oddly as they explained about Black Holes to Rose while finishing each other’s sentences.

“Do what?” The Doctor and Seren asked in unison.

“Finish each other’s sentences? Yes, they do.” Siwan said, rolling her eyes exasperatedly.

Seren and the Doctor looked at each other and shrugged, they never noticed it before but it worked for them so they let it go.

“So, they can’t be in orbit.” Rose summarized. “We should be pulled right in.”

“Rose, we should be dead.” Siwan corrected with a heavy sigh.

"And yet...here we are." Ida said with a sigh. "Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board."

"But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose asked, pointing up at a small series of clouds, rapidly speeding towards the Black Hole.

"Stars breaking up. Gas clouds.” Ida replied. “We have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads, before falling into that thing."

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then?" Rose asked, half sarcastic and half sassy.

"Just a bit." Ida said with a nod.

"Just a bit, yeah." Rose repeated, nodding.

Rose let out a shuddering breath as the base shook again. The Doctor held Seren with one arm around her waist and held to a railing with the other. Rose stepped towards Siwan and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman’s waist, letting the Welshwoman draw what comfort she could from her just as Seren was from the Doctor.

“ _Cariad,_ I think we should go.” Seren said quietly, looking up at the Time Lord and gripping his arms tightly.

“Seren Rhosyn?” He asked, looking down at her in concern.

“You promised that we would leave at the first sign of trouble.” Seren reminded him softly.

“I’m with Seren on this.” Siwan said, her own unease once again clear on her face.

“Let’s just figure out what’s going on here, and then we can go.” The Doctor said gently. “I promise.”

Seren bit her lip uneasily and nodded. The Doctor tucked her head beneath his chin and held her tightly, comforting her. Rose and Siwan separated but kept their hands interlocked, the Welshwoman needing the tactile sensation to help her focus on something other than her unease. The Doctor and Seren pulled apart slightly as well but they both kept their arms around each other’s waists, needing the tactile sensation just as much as Siwan.

Rose looked up when Toby walked back into the control room as the four of them crowded around the control panel with Zachary and Ida standing across from them.

_“Close Door 1.”_

"The rocket link's fine." Toby announced, a grumpy expression on his face.

Zachary nodded in understanding, glancing briefly at the Archaeologist before returning to the keyboard in front of him. Toby stood beside Ida at the control panel just as Zachary pulled up a holographic image of the Black Hole.

"That's the Black Hole officially designated K37 Gen 5." Zachary said.

The Doctor let go of Seren long enough to pull out his glasses and put them on before wrapping his arm around her waist once more. He, Seren and Siwan looked closely at the holographic image of the Black Hole.

“In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called Krop Tor. The Bitter Pill.” Ida continued. “And the Black Hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out, because it was poison.”

"‘The Bitter Pill’.” Rose remarked. “I like that."

Rose laughed lightly and looked over at the Doctor, Seren and Siwan. Her laughing smile faded into a frown when she saw that the three didn’t join in. Their gazes were fixed firmly on the diagram implying that they probably hadn’t even heard her.

“We are so far out.” The Doctor commented, looking at the diagram. "Lost in the drifts of the Universe.

“How did you even  _get_ here?" Seren asked, looking at the crew members.

"We flew in," Zachary replied, glancing at the couple. "You see..." He pressed another series of buttons on the keyboard and the hologram of the Black Hole changed into one of the entire planet, rings of red light emanating out from the surface and acting as a funnel. "This planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how, we've no idea, but...it's kept in constant balance against the Black Hole. And the field extends out there." He gestured to the rings of light on the diagram. “As a funnel. A distinct gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in."

"You flew down that thing?" Rose asked, grinning. "Like a rollercoaster."

"By rights, the ship should've been torn apart.” Zachary admitted. “We lost the Captain...” he paused for a moment, his eyes filled with sorrow. “Which is what put me in charge."

"You're doing a good job," Ida said consolingly.

“Yeah.” Zachary said with a self-depreciative scoff. “Well, needs must.”

"But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out." Danny called from where he was sitting behind Scooti, looking at paper diagrams.

"We had fun speculating about that," Scooti remarked dryly, working on her laptop.

“Oh yeah.” Danny said as he got to his feet, rolling his eyes. “That’s the word.” He walked past Scooti and gently whacked her on the back of the head with a scroll. “‘Fun’.”

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power!" The Doctor exclaimed, completely stumped. "I mean not just big, but off the scale!” He removed his arm from Seren’s waist and gestured to the calculator. “Can I?”

Seren rolled her eyes at his actions, knowing they weren’t going to be leaving any time soon. Glancing at Siwan, Seren saw that her sister had also realized the same thing.

“Sure.” Ida said, handing him the calculator. “Help yourself.”

The Doctor took the calculator and began running calculations while an Ood appeared in front of Seren and Siwan, holding two small cups in its hands.

“Your refreshments.” It said, holding one cup out to each of the women.

Seren and Siwan looked at the Ood in surprise before taking the offered cups.

“Thank you.” Seren said with a gentle smile, her and Siwan taking a sip of the drink. “What’s your name?”

"We have no titles.” The Ood replied. “We are as one."

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks as the Ood walked away. Seeing Scooti and Danny nearby, the twins approached them.

“Danny, Scooti, what part do the Ood play on the base?” Seren asked the pair curiously.

"They work the mine shafts.” Danny replied, looking at the two beautiful Welshwomen. “All the drilling and stuff. Supervision and maintenance. They're born for it. Basic slave race."

“You’ve got slaves?” Siwan asked incredulously.

“Don't start!” Scooti said, rolling her eyes. “They're like one of that lot. Friends of the Ood.”

Scooti and Danny snorted in amusement, not seeing how the concept of slaves bothered the two Welshwomen – one of whom was in love with an Immortal who had actually  _lived_ the life of a slave long ago.

“Well, maybe we are.” Seren said, decidedly  _unamused._ “Since when did humans need slaves?”

“But the Ood offer themselves.” Danny explained. “If you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die.”

An Ood approached the twins and they turned to it.

“You truly like being ordered around?” Siwan asked, looking at it earnestly.

"It is all we crave." The Ood stated.

“Why is that?” Seren asked, her brow furrowed.

“We have nothing else in life.” The Ood replied.

“I’m sure there is much more to your lives than just being a slave.” Siwan said softly, her expression gentle.

“There we go.” The Doctor said, drawing their attention before Siwan could say anything else to the Ood. “Do you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds.”

“Six, six, six.” Siwan whispered uneasily, exchanging a look with Seren. Both women felt nauseated and uneasy at the Sign of the Sixes.

“That’s a lot of sixes.” Rose muttered.

“And it’s impossible.” The Doctor added, dropping the calculator back onto the surface of the table.

"It took us two years to work that out!" Zach exclaimed.

“I’m very good.” The Doctor said in a moment of modesty.

Seren snorted, momentarily distracted by the Doctor’s uncharacteristic display of modesty and wondered how long it would last.

"But that's why we're here.” Ida told the time travellers. “This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it."

“It's giving off readings of over 90 Statts on the Blazen scale.” Zachary said.

“It could revolutionize modern science.” Ida added enthusiastically.

"We could use it to fuel the Empire." Jefferson put in.

“Or start a war.” Siwan remarked as the Doctor removed his glasses.

Siwan was remembering the stories she had been told by Adam, Duncan and the other Immortals she had met. A common theme in them, when talking about the steps taken to further science also furthered the art of warfare as well.

"It's buried beneath us." Toby muttered, "In the darkness...waiting..."

"What's your job? Chief dramatist?" Rose asked sassily, causing the Doctor, Seren and Siwan to smirk.

"Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomenon.” Toby said, glaring at Rose. “And this, er, planet once supported life. Eons ago, before the Human Race had even learned to walk.”

"We saw that lettering written on the wall. Did you do that?" The Doctor asked, looking at Toby.

Toby nodded. “I copied it from fragments we found on earth by the drilling, but I can't translate it."

"No, neither can I.” The Doctor said. “And that's saying something."

"There was some form of civilisation.” Toby said. “They buried something. Now it's reaching out, calling us in."

“And you came.” The Doctor commented, grinning fondly at the crew members around them.

“Well, how could we not?” Ida inquired challengingly while Zachary shut off the holographic images.

"So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here?” The Doctor asked, a wide, manic grin on his face. “Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was  _there_! Brilliant!” He turned to Zachary, still grinning. “Excuse me, er, Zach, wasn't it?"

“That’s me.” Zachary replied, leaning against the control panel.

"Just stand there, 'cos I'm gonna… _hug_ you. Is that alright?"

The crew looked at him as though he had completely lost his mind. Rose giggled quietly, muffling the sound behind her hand while Seren and Siwan managed to crack small smiles despite their unease.

"I s'pose so." Zach replied, straightening up.

"Here we go. Coming in." The Doctor said edging towards him. He threw his arms around Zach and clutched him, beaming brightly. Zach smiled as he returned the hug. "Aah, human beings, you are amazing!"

“Amazingly foolish.” Seren said, her unease coming back full force as everyone turned to look at the two Welshwomen. “You are completely mad for coming here!”

The Doctor and Zach pulled apart, the smile the acting captain had on his face at the amusing man faded into a frown as he looked at the identical women.

“Did you not  _see_ any of the signs?” Siwan asked, just as irritated and uneasy as her sister. “They are all there! There for the single purpose of making you  _run away_ from this place!”

“And the three sixes? That’s the sign of the Devil!” Seren cried, glaring fiercely at them. “But nooo, you just had to come looking for demons! You’re absolutely ridiculous!”

“The twins are right.” The Doctor said, making the crew turn to him. “You should pack your bags, get back in that ship and fly for your lives.”

"You can talk!" Ida shot back, torn between amusement at the Doctor and irritation at the twins’ words. "And how the hell did _you_ get here?"

"Oh, I've got this um...this...ship. It's hard to explain, it just sort of...appears…" The Doctor replied vaguely, rambling.

"We can show you." Rose said eagerly. "We parked down the corridor from um...oh, what's it called? Uh, Habitation Area..."

“Three.” Siwan supplied absently.

“Three.” Rose finished her sentence, snapping her fingers and nodding at the reminder. “Three.”

"Do you mean Storage Six?" Zach asked.

"Uh, it was a bit of a cupboard, yeah." The Doctor said, grinning.

Seren and Siwan’s eyes went wide in realization.

“But you said-you said ‘Storage 5 through 8’.” Seren said in alarm, looking at Zachary.

Seren turned and looked at the Doctor, realization dawning on his face as well. Without another word, he, Seren and Siwan bolted from the control room with a confused Rose on their tail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later, the four time travellers returned to the control room and the Doctor turned to Zachary while the three women stood near him.

"The ground gave way. My TARDIS must've fallen down right into the heart of the planet. But you've got robot drills heading the same way." The Doctor said urgently.

“We can’t divert the drilling.” Zachary said with a shrug, looking apologetically at the Time Lord before walking away.

The Doctor stared after Zachary for a moment before following him.

"But I  _need_ my ship! It's all I've got! Literally, the only thing I have besides the twins!” The Doctor said desperately.

Rose started when she heard the Doctor’s words, a pang of hurt and sorrow shooting through her. She glanced at the twins who only looked at the Time Lord with sorrow-filled expressions and realized, in a rare moment of clarity, that while he had the twins, they weren’t the women he had loved so long ago - by his own admission they weren't the same. While he was eternally grateful he had Astraea and Aludra back in the form of Seren and Siwan, the TARDIS was still the only thing he had left of his  _home_ , his  _people_ , his  _legacy_. The drawstring bags that hung from the twins' wrists were now all that existed of Time Lord Science, the bigger-on-the-inside technology that was weaved into the fabric of the purses.

“Doctor,  _we've_ only got the resources to drill  _one_ central shaft down to the power source, and that's it.” Zachary said firmly, looking at the Time Lord. “No diversions, no distractions,  _no exceptions_. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that… is the end of it.”

Zachary turned and walked away, the Doctor watching him go with a helpless expression on his face. Seren sighed quietly and moved away from the control panel, sitting down on one of the empty chairs.

“I’ll uh, put you on the duty roster.” Ida said, approaching the Time Lord and trying to ignore the helpless expression as he looked at her. “We need someone in the laundry.”

_"Open Door 1."_

Ida turned and walked away, following Zachary and the rest of the crew out of the room.

_Close Door 1.”_

The four time travellers were left alone except for an Ood. The Doctor walked over to Seren and sat down on an empty chair beside her.

“I’ve trapped you here.” The Doctor said quietly to Seren.

“Yeah, you have.” Seren said softly, not bothering to deny the situation they found themselves in. “But don’t worry about me or Siwan. We’ll be okay.” She smiled dryly and looked at him, taking his hand and interlocking their fingers. “With us on a planet that shouldn't exist, under a Black Hole and no way out, I’m more worried about Rose.”

Both of them looked over at Rose and Siwan. The two women were still by the control panel, the blonde playing with a long tendril of Siwan’s hair that wasn’t bound by the milkmaid braid. Siwan had her arm around Rose’s waist, letting the younger woman play with her hair as she had often done so as a child. It was a coping mechanism that Rose had adopted when she was small, something that had faded over time but still made an appearance when things became too much for her to handle.

“This isn’t your fault.” Seren said softly, looking up at the mad man she loved. “We were fully ready to leave when there was trouble, but the choice was taken out of your hands.”

“I promise next time, we will leave the  _instant_ you say that something doesn’t feel right.” The Doctor said resolutely, fully prepared to follow through on the promise.

Seren nodded in acceptance and stood up. She leaned towards him and kissed him lightly before walking towards Siwan and Rose. The Doctor followed behind her, their fingers still inter-locked.

“How are you doing?” Seren asked, aiming the question more at Rose than at Siwan.

The base shook again and they gripped the control panel. When the shaking subsided, Rose looked up at the Black Hole they were orbiting.

“Well, we’re on a planet that shouldn't exist, under a Black Hole and no way out.” Rose replied, inadvertently repeating what Seren had said a few minutes earlier. “I’m just peachy.”

Rose looked at Seren with a scared and nervous expression on her face. Seren reached out and drew the taller woman into a hug, holding her tightly. Siwan and the Doctor wrapped their arms around the two, the four of them holding each other tightly.

All four of them were scared and worried, facing a life in a completely unknown time period. However, the Doctor, Seren and Siwan were more worried about Rose, who didn’t have the immortality (or the Choice) that they had. Rose had never really entertained the possibility of not seeing Jackie or Rhiannon or Johnny or the kids again until they had accidentally landed in the parallel universe. Seren and Siwan, on the other hand, had long since come to terms with the painful knowledge that they would outlive their loved ones - even if they had Chosen mortal lives, they would still have a longer lifespan than an ordinary human.

 _“Entering night shift. Your chosen track for transition is Ravel's ‘Bolero’.”_ The computerized voice said over the P.A. system.

“Let’s go get something to eat.” Siwan suggested when they separated several minutes later while ‘Bolero’ played over the loudspeakers. “They have to have some kind of food, yeah?”

Rose nodded and Seren took her hand, leading the way out of the control room. The four of them walked quietly to Habitation Area Three where the canteen was located. Rose made her way to the hatch where the Ood were serving the food while Siwan sat at an empty dining table.

Seren and the Doctor, on the other hand, sat in front of the wall that had the ancient script scrawled. The Doctor pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and a pencil out of Seren’s purse, writing down the ancient text while he examined it.

 _"Danny, check the temperature of Ood Habitation."_ Zachary called over the loudspeaker, momentarily stopping the music.  _"It seems to be rising."_

Danny stood up and headed out while the music resumed playing.

“Careful,  _Cariad_.” Seren said with a smile, looking at his furrowed brow. He looked at her in confusion, his glasses slipping down his nose. “Your face might get stuck that way if you stare any harder.”

She gently pushed his glasses back up his nose and smiled at him. The Doctor snorted lightly in amusement before turning back to the script, though not staring quite as hard. Seeing Rose carry a tray of food to the table Siwan was sitting at, Seren got to her feet and nudged the Doctor, drawing him out of his examination.

“Come on, time for a break.” She said firmly, gently tugging the pencil and notebook out of his hands.

“Aw… but…” The Doctor protested, more out of habit than anything else as he got to his feet as well.

“Everything okay, Rose?” Siwan asked, looking at the blonde just as Seren and the Doctor sat down across from the two women.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Rose replied, taking a bite of her food and holding back the grimace at the taste.

They all looked up when the lights of the canteen flickered above them.

"Zach, have we got a problem?" Ida asked, speaking into her communicator.

 _"No more than usual.”_ Zachary’s replied over the communicator.  _“Got the Scarlet System burning up, it might be worth a look."_

Ida looked towards the Doctor, the twins and Rose, a smile on her face.

“You might want to see this. Moment in history.” The fair-skinned older woman said, walking over to one of the doors and pulling a lever. The overhead shutters opened and revealed the Black Hole, the canteen flooding with the soft, red light. “There. On the edge.” Ida pointed up at a stream of red light that passed over them and spiralled into the Black Hole. “That red cloud. That… used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi, a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years, disappearing… forever. Their planets and suns consumed.” She gazed up at it in fascination as did Rose. The Doctor, Seren and Siwan were more solemn, seeing the passing of a great race instead. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed its passing.”

Ida put her hand on the lever, intending to close it when Seren stopped her.

“Could you leave it open?” The amethyst-eyed Welshwoman asked, a hopeful expression on her face.

“Just for a bit.” The Doctor added. “We won’t go mad, I promise.”

"How would you know?" Ida asked.

“Because he’s already a mad man.” Seren said, glancing at the Doctor with a fond expression on her face.

 _“Your_ Mad Man.” The Doctor said softly, taking her hand and interlocking their fingers.

Ida looked at the pair with a soft smile on her face and nodded in agreement, stepping away from the control lever.

"Scooti, check the lockdown." Ida said, looking at the younger woman. Scooti nodded and got to her feet. "Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me."

Jefferson nodded and got to his feet, he and Scooti leaving through one door while Ida turned and left through another.

Seren, Siwan and the Doctor looked up at the Black Hole. The Doctor thought about his people, all of whom were gone except for himself and the twins – to a certain extent. Seren thought about the Doctor and how painful it was for him, quietly holding his hand as he gazed up.

Siwan thought about Adam and if he was still alive, if he was waiting for her or if he had found a way to move on. As she thought about her Immortal love, she realized that she wouldn’t blame him if he had managed to find someone else who could love him the way he deserved. She would actually be  _happy_ if that were the case for the sole reason that it would mean he wasn’t alone, no matter how painful it was for her to consider the thought of him being with someone else. However, she remembered what he had said about the likelihood of giving in to the darkness in his heart if he were to lose her, giving in to the part of himself that enjoyed being a Horseman. She prayed that he had moved on from her over the years that had passed since they last saw each other.

“I've seen films and things, yeah.” Rose said, drawing the three of them out of their thoughts. “They say Black Holes are like gateways to another universe.”

"Not that one.” The Doctor said, glancing up at the Black Hole above them. “It just eats."

“Long way from home.” Siwan said quietly.

Rose took the older woman’s hand and interlocked their fingers. The Doctor pointed up with his free hand, just to the right of the dome.

“Go that way.” He said. “Turn right, keep going for, er… about, er, 500 years, and you'll reach the Earth.”

Seren pulled her mobile out from her purse, a light purple Samsung Galaxy S9 that was identical to the one she had given to Mickey in the parallel Universe, and opened the main screen.

“No signal.” Seren said in momentary surprise, looking at the icon at the top of the screen. “This is the first time we’ve gone out of range.”

Even while they were in the parallel Universe, they had still been able to use the mobiles to keep in contact with whoever else was there with them.

“What would we even tell them?” Rose asked Seren before turning to the Doctor. “Can’t you build another TARDIS?”

“They’re grown, not built.” Siwan said before the Doctor could reply.

"With my own planet gone, we're kind of stuck." The Doctor said with a quiet sky.

"Well, it could be worse.” Rose said optimistically. “This lot said they'd give us a lift."

“And then what?” The Doctor asked, looking at her curiously.

"I dunno," Rose said with a sigh. "Find a planet, get a job, live a life.”

“Same as the rest of the Universe." Siwan added.

"I'd have to settle down.” The Doctor said, scoffing at the mere thought. “In a house or something, a proper house with… with doors and things. Carpets! Me! Living in a house!" Seren shook her head and smiled at his theatrics while Siwan rolled her eyes and Rose laughed. “Now,  _that_ … that… that is terrifying!”

“You’d have to get a mortgage!” Rose teased in a sing-song voice.

"No." The Doctor said, horrified.

"Oh, yes." Rose said, a bright grin on her face.

"I am dying. That's it. I am dying, it is all over." The Doctor said theatrically, shaking his head.

The three women laughed and Seren shook her head fondly.

“It won’t be that bad. You have me.” Seren said optimistically, taking his hand again and interlocking their fingers. “Who knows? It could be fun. Like another adventure, just of a different sort.”

The Doctor smiled at her and kissed her temple, letting go of her hand and instead wrapping the arm around her shoulders.

“We could get a house together.” Siwan said with a soft smile, her expression sad yet optimistic as they speculated what life would be like without the TARDIS and the travelling.

“We could be flatmates!” Rose said excitedly, her eyes bright with happiness at the thought that she still had her god-sisters. She turned to Siwan. “And you could find out where Adam is, see him again.”

Siwan didn’t say anything but silently prayed that Adam was still alive, that he was still  _Methos_ and hadn’t given into the darkness of his heart, the part that enjoyed being the Horseman.

“I promised Jackie and Rhiannon that I would always take you back home.” The Doctor said softly, looking at the three women.

“Everyone leaves home in the end.” Rose said with a shrug, waving away the Time Lord’s regret at not fulfilling his promise.

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks. They both knew they were bound to leave their family at some point to not draw attention to their lack of aging.

“Not to end up stuck here.” The Doctor said with a sigh, glancing around the canteen.

"Yeah, but stuck with you three. That's not so bad." Rose said.

“Yeah?” Seren asked, looking at Rose in surprise.

“Yeah.” Rose said sincerely, nodding.

Seren smiled brightly at the blonde, her face lighting up entirely. Siwan and the Doctor had similar, bright smiles on their faces.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by Seren’s mobile ringing. Seren looked at it in surprise and confusion, wondering how it could be ringing. There wasn’t supposed to be any signal.

“Jones.” Seren said, answering the mobile.

 _“He is awake.”_ A deep, guttural male voice growled.

Seren’s eyes widened in fear and alarm and she flung the mobile away from her. It slid across the floor and stopped in the middle of the canteen.

“Seren, what’s wrong?” The Doctor asked, looking at her in worry.

“It said ‘He is awake’.” Seren replied, her hands trembling slightly in fear. The Doctor drew her closer to him, tightening his arm around her comfortingly.

“Who did?” Rose asked, fear creeping into her voice at the fear that was evident on Seren’s features.

“I don’t know.” Seren said, shaking her head and burrowing herself deeper into the Doctor’s side. “But my uneasy feeling is back.”

“Mine too.” Siwan said, wrapping her arms around herself. “And it’s much stronger than before.”

“Earlier the Ood said something about ‘the Beast’ and ‘the Pit’.” Rose said quietly, her eyes wide with worry.

“Come on.” The Doctor said as he got to his feet, Seren getting up with him. “Let’s go talk to whoever’s in charge of the Ood.”

Rose and Siwan got to their feet as well and they left the canteen, pausing to pick up Seren’s mobile from the floor. They made their way through the corridors and rooms to Ood Habitation where the Ood resided.

They found Danny on the catwalk, standing at a computer console and working.

“Evening!” The Doctor greeted cheerfully.

“Only us!” Rose said, just as cheerful.

Seren and Siwan smiled, their professional masks in place and concealing their discomfort and unease.

“The mysterious quartet.” Danny said in greeting. “How are you, then? Settling in?”

"Yeah, sorry, straight to business. The Ood, how do they communicate?” The Doctor asked, looking over the railing and down at the Ood beneath the catwalk. “I mean, with each other."

Seren and Siwan looked over the railing as well and saw the Ood, seated in an area reminiscent to a type of animal-pen.

“Oh, just Empaths.” Danny said with a shrug. Seren and Siwan exchanged looks, being Empaths themselves. “There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does  _them_ much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle.”

“Can this telepathic field pick up messages?” Seren asked curiously.

"'Cos I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something...well, odd." Rose added in explanation.

"Oh. An odd Ood." Danny said scoffing.

“Then Seren got something on her communicator.” Siwan added.

"Oh, be fair. We've got whole star systems burning up around us.” Danny said dismissively, picking up a hand-held tablet and moving away from the computer. “There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing." Seeing that the four travellers were far from convinced, he added reassuringly, “Look, if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill."

“You monitor the field on this?” Siwan asked, turning to the computer Danny had been working at.

It was reading at ‘Basic 5’.

"Yeah. But like I said, it's low level telepathy.” Danny replied, nodding. “They only register Basic 5."

The four travellers looked at the computer, seeing the reading rise to ‘Basic 6’.

“Well, that’s not Basic 5.” The Doctor commented, all four of them watching the reading continue to rise. “10…” Seren glanced at the Ood and frowned when she saw them raise their heads in unison. “20…”

“Danny, they’ve gone up to Basic 30.” Siwan said, looking over her shoulder at the man.

“But they can’t!” Danny exclaimed, looking at Siwan, Rose and the Doctor in shock.

“Doctor, the Ood.” Seren breathed, her eyes wide as her gaze stayed firmly locked on the Ood below.

Danny went to the computer while Siwan, Rose and the Doctor turned and looked down at the Ood. The four of them watched as the Ood turned in unison and stared up at them.

“What does Basic 30 mean?” Rose asked.

“Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads.” Danny replied, baffled and concerned.

“Or something’s shouting at them.” Siwan said quietly.

“But where is it coming from?” Danny asked frowning, peering at the screen as he pressed several buttons on the keyboard. “What is it saying?” He turned to Rose. “What did it say to you?”

"Something about ‘the Beast’ and ‘the Pit’." Rose replied, telling him the same thing that she had told the Doctor and the twins.

"What about your communicator, Seren? What did that say?" Danny asked, turning to Seren.

“‘He is awake’.” Seren replied quietly, looking at Danny.

"And you will worship him." The Ood said in unison.

“What the hell?” Danny breathed in shock as all five of them spun around to look at the Ood.

“He is awake.” The Doctor said, standing tall and looking down at the Ood.

"And you will worship him." The Ood repeated, once again in unison.

“Worship who?” The Doctor asked but received no reply from the Ood. “Who's talking to you? Who is it?”

Again, there was no reply from the Ood. Suddenly, the entire base shook, causing the five of them to be thrown to the ground.

 _"Emergency, hull breach.”_ The computerized voice announced as they struggled to their feet.  _“Emergency, hull breach."_

“Which section?” Danny shouted into his communicator, his fear evident on his face.

 _“Everyone, evacuate 11 to 13. We've got a breach_!” Zachary shouted through the communicator.  _“The base is open. Repeat, the base is open!”_

“We’ve got to go!” Danny shouted, trying to be heard over the shaking and the alarm.

“Are we in that area?” Rose asked, reaching out and grabbing Siwan’s hand tightly.

"No, but it's protocol." Danny replied hurriedly, rushing to the exit. "We're all to meet up in the corridor just off Habitation Area Three in the event of a breach."

The four travellers raced after Danny, out of Ood Habitation and down the corridor.

_“Open Door 19.”_

They burst through Door 19 back into Habitation Area Three and raced across the room.

_“Close Door 19.”_

_"I can't contain the oxygen field!"_ Zachary shouted over the P.A.  _"We're gonna lose it!"_

"Come on!" Jefferson shouted from the corridor they were heading to. "Keep moving!"

They ran into the corridor and met the rest of the crew, all converging from different directions.

“And you, sunshine, get in!” Jefferson yelled, pulling Toby into the room by his sweatshirt before slamming the door shut.

 _"Breach sealed. Breach sealed."_ The computer announced.

“Everyone all right?” Seren asked.

“What happened? What was it?” The Doctor asked frantically.

He and Seren rushed over to the crew, Seren immediately looking them all over. With Rose’s tight grip on Siwan’s hand, the sapphire-eyed Welshwoman hung back slightly to comfort the blonde.

 _"Oxygen levels normal."_ The computer said.

"Hull breach.” Jefferson replied panting. “We were open to the elements. A couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that Black Hole at close quarters."

Seren turned to him, looking him over for any signs of trauma. Rose let go of Siwan and went to Toby, crouching down and helping the man to his feet.

“That wasn’t a quake.” Siwan said, looking Toby over while Rose helped him stay upright.

“What caused it?” Seren asked, moving back and leaning against the Doctor who wrapped his arm around her waist.

 _"We've lost sections 11 to 13.”_ Zachary called over the P.A., his tone somber.  _“Everyone all right?"_

“We've got everyone here except Scooti.” Jefferson replied into his communicator, still panting. “Scooti, report.” They all exchanged looks when they heard nothing but static on the communicator. “Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report!”

 _“She's all right, I've picked up her biochip.”_ Zachary called over the P.A. system. At the captain’s words, the crew gave visible sighs of relief.  _“She's in Habitation 3. Better go and check. If she's not responding, she might be unconscious.”_ There was a moment’s pause before Zachary added, relief coloring his tone.  _“How about that, eh? We survived!”_

"Habitation 3.” Jefferson repeated in understanding before lowering his wrist and turning to the rest of them. “Come on, I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on."

Jefferson walked down the corridor, leading the way back to Habitation 3 with most of the crew following behind him. Toby lowered himself back onto the ground instead of following Jefferson, looking incredibly shaken.

Seeing Toby on the ground and his shaken expression, the four time travellers didn’t follow Jefferson, turning to Toby instead.

“What happened?” The Doctor asked Toby gently, crouching in front of him.

"I don't… I dunno.” Toby replied shakily, speaking rapidly. “I-I was working and then I can't remember. All-All that noise, the room was falling apart, there was no air…"

"Come on. Up you get. Come and have some Protein 1." Rose said, her and Siwan helping Toby up to his feet before leading him down the corridor.

“You’ve gone native.” Seren commented with a grin as the Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist and they followed behind.

"Oi, don't knock it!” Siwan called over her shoulder. “It's nice. Protein 1 with just a…" She clicked her tongue, "dash of 3."

They entered Habitation 3 to find it in complete chaos - Scooti still wasn't found and the crew were frantically trying to find her. All of them were talking over one another, creating a cacophony of noise.

“Have any of you seen Scooti?” Jefferson asked them as soon as they stepped through the door.

“No, no, no, I don't think so.” Toby replied, shaking his head.

Rose and Siwan gently guided him to a chair and urged him to sit down.

“Scooti, please respond.” Ida said into her communicator, worry in her voice and on her face. “If you can hear this, please respond. Habitation Six?”

“Nowhere here.” Jefferson said shaking his head. He lifted his wrist and spoke into his communicator. “Zach, we've got a problem. Scooti's still missing.”

 _“But it says Habitation 3.”_ Zachary replied, confused.

The Doctor glanced down at Seren, feeing her tense beneath his arm and saw her looking up with a horrified expression. He followed her gaze and looked up as well, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, well that's where I am, and I'm telling you she's  _not here_." Jefferson said, barely holding back the snappy tone.

“We found her.” The Doctor said quietly, not looking away from the sight above him.

The rest glanced at the couple before following their line of sight. Rose shrieked in horror, her hand flying to her mouth to try and muffle the sound.

“Oh,  _Duw_.” Siwan breathed, her eyes wide.

Above them, floating in space outside, was Scooti. Her lifeless eyes were open and unseeing, her face frozen in an expression of fear as she floated towards the Black Hole.

"Sorry.” The Doctor said sincerely, his voice pained. “I'm so sorry."

The room was silent, no one replying to the condolence. Siwan wrapped her arm around Rose, the blonde frozen and staring up in horror. Danny looked ashen and sick, staring up with a hand on his mouth as he tried to hold back the urge to vomit.

“Captain.” Jefferson said quietly into his communicator, his voice filled with emotion. “Report Officer Scootori Manista PKD… deceased. 43 K 2.1.”

"She was 20." Ida breathed, her eyes filled with pain. "20 years old."

Siwan tightened her hold around Rose, the 21-year-old blonde only a year older than Scooti.

Ida shook her head sadly and went to the controls, pulling the lever to close the shutters. They watched Scooti float towards the Black Hole until the shutters closed completely.

"Then out spake brave Horatius.” Seren said softly. “The Captain of the Gate: ‘To every man upon this earth, Death cometh soon or late’.”

“‘For how should Man die better than facing fearful odds?” Jefferson continued, just as quietly. “‘For the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods’.”

The background whirring, the sound they had become used to, faded away before stopping completely.

“It stopped.” Ida said as they heard a faint, distant clash before there was nothing but silence.

“What was that?” Rose asked, looking up from Siwan’s shoulder but keeping a tight grip on the older woman. “What was it?”

“The drill.” The Doctor replied.

"We've stopped drilling." Ida said, looking at them all. "We've made it. Point Zero."

 _"All non-essential Oods to be confined."_ Zachary announced over the P.A system.

They made their way to the Exploration Deck, Danny changing directions and heading to Ood Habitation with another crew member, needing to get the Ood confined. Ida quickly changed into a space suit while the crew made the final preparations to go down the mineshaft.

“Capsule established, all systems functioning!” Ida reported, speaking loudly to be heard over the noise of them all preparing. “The mineshaft is go! Bring systems online now!”

The Doctor, who had separated from the group when Ida went to change into her spacesuit, approached Zachary, dressed in a spacesuit of his own with the helmet tucked under his arm.

“Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force.” The Doctor said to Zachary.

Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol.” Zachary said, sighing. “We don't even know who you are.”

“Yeah, but you trust me, don't you?” The Doctor asked with a grin. Zachary didn’t reply, only rolling his eyes at the comment. “And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on. Look me in the eye. Yes you do, I can see it. Trust.” He added teasingly.

" _I_ should be going down." Zachary said.

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here, in charge." The Doctor refuted.

"Not much good at it, am I?" Zachary asked, bitterness filling his voice. The Doctor didn't reply, only looking at the younger man. Zachary sighed and turned around, calling to the crew, "Positions! We're going down in two! Everyone, positions!" He walked away as Seren, Siwan and Rose approached the Doctor. “Mr. Jefferson! I want maximum systems..."

"Oxygen. Nitro-balance. Gravity.” The Doctor muttered, looking at the stats-recorder on his wrist before looking at the three women. He had an excited grin on his face. “It's been ages since I wore one of these!"

“I want my Mad Man back in one piece, you hear?” Seren asked, looking up at the Doctor.

“Yes, ma'am.” The Doctor said cheekily, grinning at her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, kissing her gently on the lips. They pulled apart and she smiled at him, taking the helmet and putting it over his head, locking it into place.

"It's funny, 'cos people back home think that space travel's gonna be all whizzing about and teleports, anti-gravity. But it's not, is it?" Rose asked, her voice breaking. "It's tough."

Siwan wrapped her arm around Rose’s waist, holding the taller woman reassuringly.

“I’ll see you three later.” The Doctor said.

“Not if we see you first.” Siwan said with a light laugh.

The Doctor smiled at her and watched as she gently nudged Rose away. Seren took his gloved hand into her own and they walked to the shaft where Ida was waiting.

"Always together." The Doctor started as they reached the shaft.

"Always by each other." Seren, Siwan and Rose said in unison as the Doctor moved to stand beside Ida in front of the capsule.

"Always and forever." All four of them said in unison.

 _“Capsule active.”_ Zachary called over the loudspeaker from the Control Room.  _"Counting down in 10...9...8...7...6...”_ The Doctor cupped Seren’s cheek gently before stepping into the capsule behind Ida.  _“5...4...”_ Seren stepped back with Rose and Siwan behind her, watching Jefferson closed the capsule door.  _“3...2...”_ Jefferson saluted the Doctor and Ida while Seren, Rose and Siwan waved at them, smiling.  _“1..."_ The Doctor waved back, returning the smile.  _“Release.”_

The capsule started to descend into the shaft while a diagram appeared on one of the computers nearby to monitor the descent. Seren watched the monitor, fiddling with her drawstring bag hanging from her wrist while Rose stood next to her, clutching the comm tightly. Siwan leaned against the railing and glanced over at Toby, noticing that he kept looking at his hands and twitching nervously.

 _“You've gone beyond the oxygen field.”_ Zachary announced several tense seconds after the capsule began its descent.  _“You're on your own.”_

"Don't forget to breath. Breathing's good." Rose said into the comm, worried out of her mind as she began taking deep breaths to demonstrate.

“Rose, stay off the comms.” Siwan said with a gentle laugh.

Siwan gently took the comm from Rose’s vice grip and held it loosely in her own hand. She stood between Rose and Seren, all three watching the diagram on the computer screen, indicating that the capsule had reached Point Zero.

Suddenly, a klaxon alarm sounded and the entire base shook as the capsule hit the ground. Seren steadied herself on the railing and grabbed the comm from Siwan.

“Doctor?” Seren called frantically into the comm, receiving no reply. “ _Cariad_ , are you all right?”

“Ida, report to me.” Zachary called, much more calmly than Seren. He, too received no reply. “Doctor?”

 _"It's all right, we've made it.”_ The Doctor called.  _“We’re coming out of the capsule now."_

Seren breathed a sigh of relief. Rose and Siwan hugged her from either side at the Time Lord’s response.

"What's it like down there?" Rose asked curiously, lowering her head so she could speak into the comm in Seren’s hand. The amethyst-eyes Welshwoman was still sandwiched between Rose and Siwan's embrace, none of them making any indication of separating any time soon.

 _"It's hard to tell.”_ The Doctor replied.  _“Some sort of… cave, cavern. It's massive."_

 _"Well, this should help. Gravity globe."_ Idasaid. There was a moment of silence before Ida spoke again, her voice filled with awe.  _“That's-That's... my God, that's beautiful."_

 _“Seren Rhosyn, Siwan, Rose… you can tell Toby… we’ve found his civilization.”_ The Doctor said, his voice filed with amazement.

"Oi, Toby! Sounds like you've got plenty of work." Rose said cheerfully, looking at Toby.

"Good, good. Good." Toby replied in a mutter, distracted.

 _“Concentrate now, people.”_ Zachary called _. “Keep on the mission. Ida, what about the power source?”_

" _We're close.” Ida reported back. “Energy signature indicates North- North West. Are you getting pictures up there?_ "

 _"There's too much interference.”_ Zachary replied regretfully. “ _We're in your hands."_

 _"Well, we've come this far.”_ Ida said.  _“There's no turning back."_

All four time travellers groaned at Ida’s words, the words that most assuredly just jinxed them.

 _"Oh, did you have to?”_ The Doctor asked with a groan.  _“‘No turning back’?! That's almost as bad as 'nothing can possibly go wrong’ or ‘this is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had'."_

Seren, Siwan and Rose chuckled at the Doctor’s rambling.

 _“Have you finished?”_ Ida asked, bemused.

 _"Yeah! Finished."_ The Doctor chirped.

Seren shook her head at the Doctor’s antics, a small smile on her face.

 _"Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood."_ Danny’s voice called through Jefferson’s communicator – a link disconnected from the Doctor and Ida.

 _“What are they doing?”_ Zachary asked.

 _"They're staring at me._ ” Danny replied, sounding utterly freaked out. _“I've told them to stop, but they won't."_

 _"Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can take being_  stared _at."_ Zachary said, exasperated at the seemingly childish response Danny gave.

 _"But the telepathic field, sir. It's at Basic 100!”_ Danny said. _“I've checked, there isn't any fault. It's definitely 100."_

“But that’s impossible.” Jefferson breathed in shock.

“What’s Basic 100 mean?” Rose asked, her, Seren and Siwan looking at Jefferson in confusion.

 _“They should be dead.”_ Danny replied before Jefferson could.

“Basic 100 is brain death.” Jefferson explained further, throwing a glance at the three Ood that were with them, a few feet away.

 _"But they're safe?”_ Zachary asked _. “They're not actually moving?"_

 _"No, sir."_ Danny replied.

 _"Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson, keep a guard on the Ood."_ Zachary ordered.

"Officer at arms!" Jefferson shouted, readying his own gun.

“Yes, sir.” A crew member, the young dark-skinned woman, said as she readied her gun.

"You can't fire a gun in here. What if they hit a wall?" Rose asked in concern, remembering the few lessons she had gotten in weaponry from Adam and Duncan. She was never really good at it, but she did remember the some of the rules, one of them being that you never fire in close quarters for fear of ricocheting bullets.

"I'm firing Stock 15. It only impacts upon organics.” Jefferson said, checking his clip before calling over his shoulder to the crew member. “Keep watch! Guard them!”

“Yes, sir,” The dark-skinned woman answered.

 _"Is everything all right up there?"_ The Doctor asked, realizing that he and Ida hadn’t heard from them in a while.

Seren, Siwan and Rose exchanged panicked looks.

“Brilliant.” Seren said into the comm.

“Yeah, yeah.” Rose replied quickly, her voice slightly high.

“Super.” Siwan said.

 _"It's fine."_ Zachary said nonchalantly.

 _“Great!”_ Danny said, his tone a touch sarcastic.

 _"We've found something."_ The Doctor reported, though his tone clearly said that he didn't believe them for one second.  _“It looks like metal. Like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be ‘trapdoor’. Not a good word, ‘trapdoor’. Never met a trapdoor I liked.”_

 _“The edge is covered with those symbols.”_ Ida cut in before the Doctor could start rambling.

 _"Do you think it opens?"_ Zachary asked.

 _“That’s what trapdoors tend to do.”_ The Doctor said snarkily.

 _"Trapdoor doesn't do it justice.”_ Ida said.  _“It's massive, Zach. About 30 feet in diameter."_

 _“Anyway of opening it?”_ Zachary asked.

 _"I don't know.”_ Ida replied.  _“I can't see any sort of mechanism."_

 _"I suppose that's the writing. It'll tell us what to do.”_ The Doctor pondered.  _“The letters that defy translation."_

 _"Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?"_ Zachary asked Toby.

Seren turned and looked over at Toby, seeing the Archaeologist still sitting on a box with his head between his knees.

“Toby.” Seren called softly. “They need to know if you’ve been able to translate the lettering. Does it make any sense?”

 **“I know what it says.”** Toby said, his voice deep and guttural.

Seren’s eyes widened at the change in his voice, the change that the others hadn’t seemed to have noticed.

“Then tell them.” Rose ordered.

“When did you work that out?” Jefferson inquired with a frown on his face.

“It doesn’t matter, just tell them.” Siwan said.

Seren grabbed Rose and Siwan by the arms and pulled them back against the wall as Toby stood up. He turned towards the three women and Jefferson, his body was covered in the ancient symbols and his eyes were blood red.

“His eyes.” Rose whimpered in fear, gripping Seren and Siwan’s arms as they stood in front of her protectively.

 **“These are the words of the Beast.”** Toby said in the deep and guttural voice. **“And he has woken. He is the heart that beats in the darkness. He is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise.”**

"Officer, stand down!” Jefferson ordered, standing in front of the three women and aiming his gun at Toby. “Stand down!” Toby flexed his arms and rotated them. “Officer, as Commander of Security, I order you to stand down and be confined. Immediately!”

Rose whimpered again in fear, gripping Seren and Siwan’s arms tightly.

 **"Mr. Jefferson, tell me, sir. Did your wife ever forgive you?"** Toby asked suddenly in the deep, guttural voice, looking at Jefferson with cold and calculating eyes.

"I don't know what you mean." Jefferson said, though his hesitant tone and shocked eyes said otherwise.

 **“Let me tell you a secret.”** Toby said with a smirk. **“She never did.”**

“Officer, you will stand down and be confined!” Jefferson said firmly, swallowing hard at hearing Toby’s words.

 **“Or what?”** Toby asked in challenge.

"Or under the jurisdiction of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you." Jefferson said, aiming his gun at Toby.

 **"But how many can you kill?"** Toby asked in a wondering tone.

Toby’s eyes glow bright red and he opened his mouth, a low roar emanating from him. The symbols evaporated off his skin and swirled in the air like a heavy, black smoke. The swirling smoke floated through the air and entered the Ood, who jerked as they became possessed. Toby collapsed to the floor, unconscious as Jefferson turned his gun on the three Ood.

 **“We are the Legion of the Beast.”** The Ood said in unison, taking their translator orbs and holding them out. **“The Legion shall be many, and the Legion shall be few.”**

“Doctor, it’s the Ood.” Rose breathed into the comm, having reached out from behind Seren and picked it up, one hand still gripping the twins tightly.

“Sir, we have a contamination of the livestock.” Jefferson said into his communicator, one hand keeping the gun aimed on the Ood.

“I don't know what it is. It's like they're possessed." Rose said into the comm.

“They won’t listen to us.” Jefferson said into his communicator.

Seren and Siwan had their eyes trained on the Ood while Jefferson and Rose got only static on the comm and the communicator.

 **“He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time.”** The Ood said in unison. **“Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Krop Tor. Some may call him Satan or Lucifer. Or the Bringer of Despair, the Deathless Prince, the Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free.”**

The Ood slowly advanced on them, forcing them backwards.

“Back up to the door!” Jefferson shouted, his gun aimed at the advancing Ood.

 **“I shall become manifest.”** The Ood said in unison.

“Move quickly!” Seren shouted, all of them running to the door as fast as they could.

 **“I shall walk in light.”** The Ood continued in unison.

“To the door! Get it open!” Jefferson shouted.

Siwan withdrew her Bo Staffs from her drawstring purse and extended them, standing beside Jefferson and facing the advancing Ood.

 **“My Legions shall swarm across the worlds.”** The Ood continued. The entire base began to shake violently as the Ood continued to advance, still speaking in unison. **"I am the sin and the temptation. And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the death of hope."**

"Get that door open!” Jefferson shouted over his shoulder, he and Siwan facing the Ood.

Seren, Rose and the crew member desperately tried to open the door but it wouldn’t move.

 **"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more."** The Ood said in unison.

 _“Door sealed.”_ The computerized voice said.

“Come on!” Rose shouted, shoving against the door.

_“Door sealed.”_

" **The Pit is open.** ” Called a deep, guttural voice in a low roar and not from the Ood. “ **And I am free.** "

A dark and evil laugh echoed through the base. At the sound of the laugh, Seren wrapped her arm around Rose and held her close while Siwan tightened her grip around her Bo Staffs and Jefferson did the same around his gun.

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	12. The Satan Pit

**The Satan Pit**

The Ood continued to advance until Rose and Seren were pressed against the door.

“Open fire!” Jefferson ordered, not having any other choice.

Siwan ducked as Jefferson and the female crew member unleashed a hail of bullets on the Ood. The two soldiers kept firing until the three Ood were on the ground and not moving. Slowly, the base stopped shaking and as soon as the bullets stopped firing and the Ood stopped moving, Seren ran to the panel and grabbed the comm.

“Doctor?” Seren called frantically, only to hear a static hiss. “Doctor, can you hear me? Doctor? Ida? Are you there?”

_“Open Door 25.”_

The wheel on the bulkhead door began to spin and Rose darted towards Siwan. Jefferson and the female crew member whirled around and aimed their guns at the door. Danny ran inside the room and stopped when he saw the guns, his hands in the air.

“It’s me!” Danny shouted frantically as he closed the door. “But their coming.”

_“Close Door 25.”_

“It's the Ood. They've gone mad.” Danny rambled, panting heavily.

“How many of them?” Jefferson asked.

“All of them!” Danny exclaimed. “All 50!”

“Danny, out of the way.” Jefferson ordered, moving towards the door. When Danny didn’t move, Jefferson shoved him to the side so he could reach the door. “Out of the way!”

“But they're armed!” Danny cried as Jefferson spun the wheel on the door. “It's the interface device.” Siwan let go of Rose and reached out, gently moving Danny away from the door. “I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon.”

“The electrical impulses in the brain.” Seren said softly, looking at them from the panel where she was holding the comm tightly in her hand. “They travel to the sphere so it can translate what is being said. Bypass the translation matrix and you have yourself a weapon.”

Siwan stood beside Jefferson as he opened the door, the female crew member on her other side.

_”Open Door 25.”_

Jefferson pulled the door open and saw the Ood standing there, each of their eyes glowing red. Two of the Ood advanced toward Siwan and the female crew member, holding the orbs up to the women’s foreheads.

Siwan and the woman screamed in pain, their bodies covered in electrical currents. Seren screamed as she felt Siwan’s pain, dropping the comm and curling in on herself as she fought against the agony.

What felt like hours later but was only a second or two, all three women stopped screaming and slumped to the ground. Siwan and the female crew member were dead while Seren was unconscious as the connection to her sister was now broken.

Before the women had even touched the ground, Jefferson opened fire on the Ood, continuing to do so while Danny ran to the door and shoved it closed again. Rose ran to Seren and gently put the put the older woman’s head in her lap, running her hands through the strands of the ponytail.

Seren groaned as she came to, putting a hand to her forehead as she sat up with Rose’s help.

“Easy, Seren. Easy.” Rose said softly, shifting so that the Welshwoman was leaning against the railing beside the panel.

“Siwan?” Seren asked, looking up at Rose with fearful eyes.

“I’m sorry, Seren. But Siwan is dead.” Danny said sadly, looking down at the body of the beautiful Welshwoman.

“No. No, no, no.” Seren breathed, scrambling to where her sister lay. With shaking hands, she gently brushed away the curled tendrils of raven blue-black hair that fell across Siwan’s face. “Come on _Cariad_ , wake up. Please wake up. I need you, Adam needs you. We can’t lose you, please. Wake up.”

She began to sob, pleading with her sister to wake up, her words slipping into her native musical Welsh tongue. Behind her, Rose had tears streaming down her eyes as she watched. Rose knew that Siwan had the ability to come back, she _knew_ that Siwan would come back, but the wait was excruciating.

“Seren, she’s gone.” Jefferson said softly, crouching beside the sobbing woman holding her sister’s lifeless body. “I’m sorry.”

“Noooo!” Seren yelled, glaring at Jefferson as her eyes glowed purple and gold, swirling with the power of the Mara and the Time Vortex that flowed through her. “I will not lose my sister!”

Jefferson stumbled back, the power in the woman’s eyes frightening him. He didn’t understand it, but it was as though she had an ancient power, an ancient force, swirling behind the gold-rimmed purple eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a place that existed inside time and outside of it, a place where nature and magic flowed as one, Siwan Aderyn Jones stood amidst the swirling fog. All around her, voices whispered and echoed, blending together yet staying separate.

“Child of the Mara, you face your second and final Choice. What will it be? A single Mortal life that may end at any time or an Immortal life that may never end?” A timeless and ageless voice called through the swirling mists.

“Know this Child of the Mara, your Choice is final. Once it is made, there will be no turning back.” Another voice, just as ageless and timeless as the first, warned.

Siwan faced the direction that the voices seemed to be coming from the most, though they echoed all around her. She knew the Choice she would make, she had known it for a long time, cemented when she met her beloved Immortal.

“I Choose an Immortal life. I Choose with the knowledge and understanding that it may never end. I Choose with the knowledge and understanding that I will walk the Universe and watch as it changes around me while I stay the same. This I Choose, so mote it be.” Siwan said in a strong and firm voice, stating her understanding of what her Choice would bring her.

“So mote it be.” A symphony of voices, each one just as ageless and timeless as the next, said in unison. “Return to life, Siwan Aderyn Jones, Child of the Mara.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Siwan gasped and her eyes shot open, the power that had once lay dormant within her now swirling within her glowing sapphire eyes. On her back, in between her shoulder blades, her silver Mark* blazed into existence.

“Siwan!” Seren exclaimed in relief, hugging the other woman tightly. “You’re back!”

“Yeah, I’m back.” Siwan said, returning the hug with just as much vigour.

“Thank God.” Rose breathed, falling to her knees beside the two women and wrapped her own arms around them.

“What the hell?!” Jefferson exclaimed in shock, staring at Siwan with wide eyes.

“You were dead!” Danny exclaimed, pointing at Siwan and looking just as shocked as Jefferson.

“Oh, right.” Seren muttered, the three women pulling apart and looking up at the shell-shocked pair.

“It’s a trick that they can do.” Rose said in uncharacteristic calmness. Seren and Siwan turned and looked at her with identical raised eyebrows. “One time only.”

“You’re kidding.” Danny breathed, now staring at Rose in disbelief.

“You saw it happen.” Rose pointed out as the twins slowly got to their feet, their arms still around each other.

“How can it be?” Jefferson asked, looking at the twins in shock, disbelief and wonder.

“Um, we don’t know the full story.” Seren said slowly, rapidly making up a story that would keep the humans from willingly using them as the equivalent of human shields – a very real possibility based on the stories they had been told by their Immortal friends that had played a very big role in their desire to remain anonymous. “Apparently it was a gift given to one of our ancestors.”

“A gift?” Danny repeated.

“Yeah.” Siwan said, nodding. “One of our ancestors did something for a powerful being and in return they were given a gift of Choice. At the moment of death, they would have the Choice to continue on to the next life or they could return for a single life. Once the Choice is made, it cannot be undone.”

“And like Rose said, it will only be granted once.” Seren said. “If we get killed again, then we’re dead. For good.”

“We? So that means you too?” Danny asked, looking at Seren.

“Yeah.” Seren said, nodding. “I made my Choice when our parents were killed. Siwan survived the blast but I didn’t. I couldn’t leave her on her own, so I made the Choice to come back.”

 _“Jefferson!”_ Zachary yelled frantically as the comms came back on line, drawing their attention to the communicator on Jefferson’s wrist. _“What’s happening there?”_

 _"I've got very little ammunition, sir."_ Jefferson replied into his communicator, glancing at the twins and silently telling them that he would remain silent about their story _. "How about you?"_

Danny glanced at Jefferson, understanding what he was trying to say to the twins. He looked at them as well and smiled, putting a finger to his lips and his other hand to his heart, silently telling them the same thing – he would remain silent and not reveal their story.

 _“All I've got is a bolt gun. With er, all of one bolt.”_ Zachary replied. _“I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is.”_

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks before looking back at Jefferson and Danny. They gave the two men bright, radiant smiles, inadvertently dazing them for a moment. Rose giggled, seeing the dazed expressions on the men’s faces that the twins were oblivious to.

"Given the emergency…" Jefferson said, blinking rapidly as Rose’s giggle brought him out of his daze. "I recommend Strategy Nine."

“Strategy Nine, agreed.” Zachary said with a sigh. “Right, we need to get everyone together. Seren? What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?”

Seren reached out and picked up the comm, holding it to her mouth. “I can’t get a reply.” She said, her expression and posture becoming sorrow-filled and despaired. She swallowed hard and her voice broke. “There’s nothing but static.”

There was a moment of static on the comm before the Doctor’s voice filtered through.

 _“No, sorry, I'm fine.”_ He said cheerfully. _“Still here!”_

“You could have said, you stupid, son of a-.” Seren started, her voice angry.

Siwan and Rose clamped their hands over their mouths to muffle their giggles lest Seren turn her rising fury on them.

There was a high-pitched feedback whine from the comm, cutting Seren off.

 _“Whoa. Careful!”_ The Doctor called, an undercurrent to his tone that implied he was well aware he was on thin ice with his girlfriend. _“Anyway, it's both of us. Me and Ida. Hello! But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this… chasm.”_

Seren frowned, something about the Doctor’s words nagging her. There was something niggling at the back of her mind, his words reminding her of something.

 _"How deep is it?”_ Zachary asked.

 _“Can’t tell.”_ The Doctor replied. _“It looks like it goes on forever.”_

“‘The Pit is open’.” Seren said into the comm, remembering what the Beast had said. Her heart pounded, the sound echoing in her ears as she was filled with an unexplained feeling of fear at her own words. “That is what the voice said, the Beast said. ‘The Pit is open and I am free’.”

 _"But there's nothing?"_ Zach asked the Doctor and Ida, his voice cross between worried and skeptical. _"I mean there's..._ nothing _coming out?"_

 _“No, no.”_ The Doctor said in affirmation. _“No sign of ‘the Beast’."_

“It said Satan.” Rose said quietly, her voice fearful.

“Come on, Rose. Keep it together.” The Doctor said.

“It’ll be all right.” Siwan said reassuringly, reaching out and putting a gentle hand on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Is there no such thing?” Rose pressed, looking at the twins while her voice carried through the comm that Seren was holding. Neither the Doctor nor the twins replied, the twins only exchanging looks. “Doctor? Seren? Siwan?” Rose asked, looking between the twins. “Tell me there’s no such thing.” She pleaded, utterly scared.

 _“Ida?”_ Zachary cut in before any of the three could reply, not wanting the conversation to go in the direction of the Devil _. “I recommend that you withdraw. Immediately.”_

 _"But...we've come all this way!"_ Ida protested.

 _"Okay, that was an order. Withdraw!”_ Zachary repeated, his voice stern _. “When that thing opened, the whole planet shifted. One more inch and we fall into the Black Hole. So this thing stops, right now."_

 _"But it's not much better up there, with the Ood."_ Ida argued, making a valid point.

 _"I'm initiating Strategy Nine."_ Zachary said _. "So I need the two of you back up top immediately, no ar-"_ There was a beep as the device cut off. _"Ida? Ida?!"_

 _“Seren Rhosyn, we’re coming back up.”_ The Doctor said into the comm a few seconds later.

“That is one of the best things I’ve heard all day.” Seren exclaimed with a bright smile on her face, the other being the sound of Siwan taking her first breath as an immortal.

She turned at the sound of a gun cocking and saw Jefferson aiming his gun at Toby. The Archaeologist was on the ground, looking up at Jefferson fearfully.

“What are you doing?” Siwan asked, looking at Jefferson.

"He's infected." Jefferson said, his gun never wavering from the frightened man. "He brought that thing on board – you saw it."

Toby’s eyes widened, staring at them in shock and fear as he scrambled back away from the gun as much as he possibly could – which wasn’t much as the railing was behind him.

“Are you going to start shooting your own people, now?” Seren asked, moving towards Toby and Jefferson, her posture defensive.

“If necessary.” Jefferson said, looking at the Welshwoman.

“You’ll have to shoot me too, ‘if necessary’.” Seren said, glaring at Jefferson. “What’s your choice?”

“Look at his face.” Rose said, moving around Jefferson and crouching beside Toby. "Whatever it was, it's gone. It passed into the Ood. You saw it happen. He's clean."

Jefferson paused, looking at Toby and considering Rose and Seren’s words. Honestly, he would love to get rid of the possible threat and be done with it but the fact remained that Toby was the only one that had been working on the ancient text (aside from the Doctor who had begun to do so after arriving), they needed him to try and translate the writing.

“Any sign of trouble, I’ll shoot him.” Jefferson warned, lowering his gun.

“I can live with that.” Seren said with a nod, understanding Jefferson’s position as the Head of Security. As Jefferson moved away, she crouched down beside Toby. “All you okay?”

“Yeah…. I…” Toby said, trembling and nodding, looking close to tears. “Dunno.”

“Can you remember anything?” Siwan asked, coming towards him and stopping behind Seren, looking down at the Archaeologist.

"Just...it was so angry.” Toby said, his darting around in terror before glancing at Seren, Siwan and Rose. “It was...fury and rage and... death." He looked at Seren, his eyes wide. “It was him. It was the Devil.”

The three looked at him for a moment before Rose put a hand on his shoulder, making him look at her.

“Come here.” Rose said, drawing him into a gentle hug.

 _"Okay, we're in."_ Ida reported over the comm. _"Bring us up."_

Seren and Siwan joined Danny and Jefferson by the panel, Rose staying with Toby and holding him comfortingly.

“Ascension.” Jefferson began, his hand on the lever. Seren and Siwan smiled, both elated that the Doctor decided not to give in to his desire to stay below. “In 3… 2… 1.”

Jefferson pulled the lever and the lights went out the very next second.

“What just happened?” Rose asked, letting go of Toby and standing up.

“ **** **This is the darkness.** ” A deep, guttural voice said, sounding like a low animalistic roar that shook them all to their core. “ **This is my domain.** ” The monitor on the computer panel flickered and the image of the Ood came up on the security feeds. Rose gripped Toby’s shoulder tightly while Seren and Siwan took each other’s hands and held firm. “ **You little things that live in the light, clinging to your feeble Suns, which die in the end.** ”

 _“That’s not the Ood.”_ Zachary said over the comms.

“No, something is speaking through them.” Seren said. “Probably the Beast.”

“ **** **Only the Darkness remains.** ” The Beast finished.

 _“This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctuary Base Six, representing the Torchwood Archive. You will identify yourself.”_ Zachary said firmly over the loudspeaker, speaking to the voice that was using the Ood.

Siwan frowned when she heard Zachary mention Torchwood, remembering what she had been told about the organization by Joe.

“ **** **You know my name.** ” The Beast said.

 _“What do you want?”_ Zachary asked.

“ **You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave.** ” The Beast said, the sound echoing throughout the base.

“It's him.” Toby muttered frantically, rocking back and forth in terror. “It's him. It's him.”

Rose crouched down again and wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort him despite her own terror. The same way Seren and Siwan had done for her all these years.

 _“If you are the Beast, then answer me this: which one?”_ The Doctor asked over the comm, cutting in. _“Hmm? ‘Cos the Universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Archiphets…”_

“Qualdonity…” Seren added.

_"Christianity..."_

"Pash-Pash…"

_"New Judaism..."_

"San Claar..."

 _"The Church of the Tin Vagabond."_ The Doctor finished. _"Which Devil are you?"_

“ **All of them.** ” The Beast replied.

 _"What, then you're the truth behind the myth?"_ The Doctor asked incredulously.

 **"** **This one knows me, as I know him.** **”** The Beast said. “ **The killer of his own kind.** "

Seren flinched and squeezed Siwan’s hand tighter, knowing just how painful the Beast’s words were for the Time Lord, the reminder of what he had done to save the Universe.

 _"How did you end up on this rock?"_ The Doctor asked, expertly ignoring the Beast’s words.

“ **** **The Disciples of the Light rose up against me, and chained me in the pit for all eternity.** " The Beast explained.

 _“When was this?”_ The Doctor asked curiously.

“ **** **Before time.** ” The Beast replied.

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks wondering what the reply meant.

 _“What does that mean?”_ The Doctor asked, evidently wondering the same thing.

“ **** **Before time.** ” The Beast repeated.

 _“What does ‘before time’ mean?”_ The Doctor asked, his voice echoing his irritation.

“ **** **Before light and time and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this Universe was created.** ” The Beast replied.

“That’s impossible.” Seren exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock.

 _“No life could have existed back then.”_ The Doctor added, just as shocked as Seren.

“ **** **Is that** **_your_ r** **eligion?** ” The Beast asked.

 _“It’s a belief.”_ The Doctor said.

“ **** **You know nothing.** ” The Beast spat. “ **** **All of you, so small. The Captain, so scared of command. The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife. The scientist, still running from Daddy. The little boy who lied. The virgin. The Chosen Ones, haunted by the thought of watching the Universe pass them by while they remained the same. And the lost girl, so far away from home and still running after her god-sisters. The girl who will die in battle so very soon.** ”

“Seren, what does it mean?” Rose asked, looking fearfully at Seren and Siwan.

“Don’t listen to him, Rose.” Seren said firmly, looking down at the crouching blonde.

“What does to mean?” Rose repeated, getting to her feet and looking down at the smaller woman.

" **** **You will die...** " The Beast said in an almost laughing tone. " **** **And I will live.** "

Suddenly, the image of the Ood on the monitors flickered, then cut off. In its place was a figure of a horned beast, roaring loudly. Everyone, except the Doctor, jumped back from the screens, fear gripping them.

"What the hell was that?" Danny asked, trembling in fear.

"I had that thing inside my head!" Toby shouted.

“Seren, what did it mean?” Rose asked fearfully.

Seren and Siwan looked at each other, both feeling the heightened emotions of those around them. All of them were speaking over each other, fuelled by their fear and panic. The fear and panic that was almost tangible, almost strong enough to break through their mental shields that had become extremely strong over the past few months. Strong enough to no longer need Idris to reinforce them.

“What do we do?” Danny asked, panicked. He turned to Jefferson. “Jefferson?”

"Captain?" Jefferson called into his wrist communicator. "What's the situation on Strategy Nine?"

Seren and Siwan gripped their heads, the emotions becoming almost too much for them to handle. They grit their teeth, trying to forcibly keep their shields up so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

“Zach, what do we do?” Danny asked, speaking into his own wrist communicator.

“The planet, the orbit, the Black Hole - everything's true.” Toby muttered fearfully, rocking back and forth.

"Captain, report." Jefferson called frantically into his communicator.

“Everyone, try and calm down.” Siwan said, only for her voice to blend in with the rest of the noise.

 _“We’ve lost picture, Mr. Jefferson.”_ Zachary replied.

“Seren, how did it know all of…” Rose asked, the rest of her question blending into the noise.

 _“Did anyone get any anal…”_ Ida shouted over the comm.

 _“Jefferson?”_ Zachary called over the comm.

“Everyone, please stop panicking.” Seren tried, hearing the Doctor try the same over the comm.

Like with Siwan, their voices just blended into the noise of the panicking humans.

“What do we do?” Danny asked panicked.

 _“Report!”_ Zachary repeated his order.

Suddenly, a shrill whistle pierced the air, cutting through the cacophony of voices.

“Everyone, shut up!” Seren yelled, lowering her fingers from her mouth.

Everyone fell silent instantly. Seren pinned them with a fierce glare, mirrored by Siwan.

“Now, that we have our attention.” Siwan said, her glare fading and being replaced by a calming smile. “Can everyone please behave like civilized people, and not a bunch of frantic, hare-brained morons?”

Danny, Jefferson and Toby stared at the twins with dumbfounded expressions while Rose gulped audibly at the implied warning in Siwan’s voice. All four of them nodded numbly in response to the question and Siwan smiled brightly at them.

“Great!” Seren said cheerfully before picking up the comm. “ _Cariad_ , all yours.”

 _“Thank you, my love.”_ The Doctor said to her through the comm before turning his attention to the rest. _“If you want voices in the dark, then listen to mine; that thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff."_

“But that’s how the Devil works.” Danny argued.

 _“Or a good psychologist.”_ The Doctor refuted.

“But… how did it know about my father?” Ida asked, a tremor in her voice.

The Doctor paused, not having an answer.

“The Ood.” Seren said in realization.

“What do you mean?” Siwan asked, as she and the five humans looked at her.

“The Ood are low level telepaths.” Seren explained “Siwan, just as we can sometimes pick up emotions from Rose, Aunt Jackie and the others because we’ve been around them for so long, the Ood probably can do the same.”

“Over a long period of time, from constant interaction.” Siwan said in understanding, nodding.

 _“Exactly.”_ The Doctor said in agreement with the twins. _“And what makes his version of the truth any better than mine? Hmm? 'Cos I'll tell you what I can see: humans.”_

“Brilliant humans.” Seren corrected.

 _“Brilliant humans who travel all the way across space, flying in a tiny little rocket right into the orbit of a Black Hole!”_ The Doctor continued, passion and excitement in his voice. _“Just for the sake of discovery! That's amazing! Do you hear me? Amazing, all of you. The Captain, his Officer, his elders, his juniors, his friends. All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him-”_

He was cut off suddenly by a loud bang as the 3-interwoven-strand cable to the capsule began snapping, one strand at a time. Those on the drilling platform, the five humans and the twins, could only watch in horror as the third stand snapped and the cable dropped down the shaft at a rapid speed.

 _"The cable's snapped!"_ Ida shouted.

 _“Get out!”_ The Doctor shouted.

The cable landed at the bottom of the shaft, the force sending a cloud of dust up to the drilling platform.

“Doctor, can you hear me?” Seren shouted into the comm. “ _Cariad_ , please answer. Can you hear me?”

 _“Comms are down.”_ Zachary announced.

“Doctor! Are you all right?” Seren shouted, not hearing Zachary’s words. “Doctor? _Cariad_! Please, can you hear me?”

“Zachary, do you still have life signs?” Siwan asked into Danny’s communicator, holding the man’s wrist to her mouth.

 _“Yeah, I do.”_ Zachary replied. _“But we’ve lost the capsule. There’s no way out.”_ He sighed. _“They’re stuck down there.”_

“ _Cariad,_ please, say something.” Seren pleaded, tense and completely deaf to Siwan’s conversation with Zachary. “Are you there?”

“You can monitor them from up here?” Siwan asked, wanting to be sure.

 _“Yeah.”_ Zachary replied.

“Okay, that’s good.” Siwan said before lowering Danny’s arm and turning to Seren. “Seren, they’re alive, Zachary can monitor their life signs.”

Seren breathed a sigh of relief and her posture relaxed from its tense position. Rose ran to the railing and looked over, down into the shaft.

“But we’ve got to bring them back!” Rose cried.

"They're ten miles down, Rose." Jefferson said with a sigh, beside her and looking down the shaft as well. "We haven't got another ten miles of cable." There was an explosion by the door, the sudden bang that echoed around them making everyone jump. Jefferson lifted his communicator to his mouth. “Captain? Situation report.”

 _"It's the Ood.”_ Zachary replied, sighing. _“They're cutting through the door-bolts. They're breaking in."_

"Yeah, it's the same on Door 25." Jefferson said, checking the door before returning to the rest of them.

“How long is it going to take?” Seren asked, calm now that she knew that the Doctor was safe, at least for the time being.

"Well, it's only a basic frame.” Jefferson replied regretfully. “It should take 10 minutes." There was a bang at the door as the Ood cut through another door-bolt. “8.” Jefferson corrected.

 _"I've got a security frame."_ Zachary said _. "It might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you."_

“So we need to stop the Ood, or get out, or do both.” Seren summarized, nodding in understanding.

“I’ll take both, yeah.” Danny said, his tone half-sarcastic. “But how?!”

“You heard the Doctor.” Seren said, looking at Danny with resolution and determination swimming in her eyes. “Why do you think the Beast cut him off? He was making _sense_. He was telling to _think_ your way out of this! You’re all brilliant and amazing people, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. So come on, let’s get started. What’s the first thing we need?”

Seren looked around at them, each of them pondering her words.

“Lights.” Rose said, fiddling with the sleeve of her jacket. “We need light.”

“That’s good.” Seren said, nodding at Rose before looking around their immediate area. “Zachary, there has to be some sort of power supply that we still have access to.”

 _“There's nothing I can do.”_ Zachary said despairingly. “ _Some Captain! Stuck in here, pressing buttons.”_

“So press buttons.” Seren said with a grin. “Press the right buttons.”

“They've gutted the generators!” Zachary exclaimed before his tone softened and he continued in realization, “But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that... Mr Jefferson! Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety.”

Jefferson nodded and turned around to the conduit panel behind him.

“Opening bypass conduits, sir.” Jefferson said, his fingers flying across the panel.

 _“Channelling rocket feed.”_ Zachary said. _“In three… two… one. Power!”_

The lights came on and Rose clapped excitedly, a bright smile on her face.

“There we go.” Seren said, an equally bright smile on her own face.

“Let there be light!” Danny exclaimed with a grin.

“What about Strategy Nine? Can it still work?” Siwan asked, looking at Jefferson.

“Not enough power.” Jefferson replied regretfully, shaking his head. “It needs 100%.”

“Okay, so we need a way out.” Seren concluded. “Zachary, Mr. Jefferson, if you could start working on that.” Jefferson nodded while Seren turned to Toby. “Toby, what about you?”

“I’m not a soldier!” Toby snapped, standing up and turning away from her. “I can’t do anything!”

“You’re the Archaeologist who’s been working on the translations.” Seren said. “So what do you know about the Pit?”

“Well, nothing.” Toby replied with a shrug. “We haven’t been able to translate the language, despite how long I’ve been at it.” Seren sighed and turned away. “Hold on. Maybe.”

“Go on.” Seren said, turning back to face him.

“Well… since that thing was inside my head, it’s like the letters made more sense.” Toby admitted.

“Okay, anything you can translate.” Seren said with a nod. “We can worry about it making sense later, first just worry about turning it into English.” At Toby’s nod of understanding, Seren turned around and went over to Danny. “Okay Danny-boy. You’re in charge of the Ood. Do know of any way that can stop them?”

“Well…” Danny said with a pondering expression before sighing. “I don’t know.”

“Find out.” Seren said, a hint of playfulness in her tone as she pulled the man over to the control panel. “The sooner we regain control of the base, the sooner we can get the Doctor and Ida out.” She turned to Siwan. “Siwan, you with Danny or Mr. Jefferson?”

“Danny.” Siwan replied. “My background in Chemistry and Biology might come in handy more than Archival Sciences.”

“Okay, get to work.” Seren said nodding. Siwan turned and walked towards Danny, the two leaning over the control panel and quickly getting lost in a world of data.

“Seren, what about me?” Rose asked. “What can I do to help?”

“I need you to take this comm.” Seren began, gently pulling Rose to stand just behind Danny and Siwan, handing her the comm. “You need to periodically call the Doctor and Ida, see if they respond. It might be a long shot since the comms are down at the moment, but they may come back online while we fiddle with the different systems.” Rose nodded, biting her lip. “Rose, I’m trusting you with the life of the man I love. Do you understand?”

“I do, Seren.” Rose replied with a nod, her eyes shining with determination.

“Good.” Seren said, reaching up and kissing Rose’s forehead before turning away, heading towards Jefferson. “Mr. Jefferson, how we doing?”

“Open junctions 5, 6, 7.” Jefferson said to Zachary, not replying to Seren’s question but nodding at her to let her know that he saw her. There was another bang at the door and they glanced at it for a second before returning to work. “Re-route filters 16 to 24. Go.”

Seren stepped away from Jefferson and looked at Danny and Siwan, seeing them work frantically at the control panel.

“There’s all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood.” Danny said to Siwan as he rapidly typed away at the keyboard. “Trouble is, we haven’t got them on board.”

“Oh, that’s helpful.” Siwan said sarcastically. “The list of things we haven’t got. We can add a swimming pool and a Tesco’s to that list as well.”

Danny rolled his eyes at her remark but before he could retort, the screen beeped, ‘Affirmative’ flashing across it.

“Oh, my God. It says yes!” Danny exclaimed, drawing Seren’s attention. “Siwan, we can do it.”

“What is it?” Seren asked, moving to stand beside Danny and look at the screen.

“Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare, it can disrupt the telepathy.” Danny said excitedly. “Brainstorm!”

“Doctor, Ida, can you hear me?” Rose called into the comm, getting no reply back.

“What will happen to the Ood?" Siwan asked, looking at the screen as the simulated reading went lower until it flat-lined at ‘Basic 0’.

“It’ll tank them, spark-out!” Danny replied, still excitedly.

“But won’t that mean that you and Siwan will feel it, Seren?” Rose asked, looking at the twins in concern. “You both felt when the Sycorax died and Seren, you felt when the Cybermen’s Emotional Inhibitors were cancelled.”

“We’ll just have to make sure our shields are as tight as possible.” Seren said resolutely, Siwan nodding in agreement. “Danny, you have a plan. You and Siwan get to work on it.”

“It would have to be transmitted from the central monitor.” Danny said, his face fell and he shook his head.

“In Ood Habitation.” Siwan said rather than asked.

There was another bang at the door causing sparks to fly and like the last time, they glanced at it for a second before returning to work.

“Then we’ll go to Ood Habitation.” Seren said. “You two, start working on the disruption frequency.” Danny and Siwan nodded, quickly returning to work. Seren moved around them and went up to Jefferson. “Mr. Jefferson, is there a way out? Specifically a way we can get to Ood Habitation?”

“Just about.” Jefferson replied, having already started working out a way they could get there when he heard Seren’s words to Danny and Siwan. He showed her a schematic of the base, the tunnels that ran underground. “There's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here.”

“Ventilation shafts!” Seren said, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

“Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation.” Jefferson said seriously, shaking his head. Seren’s smile faded and she looked at the screen. “No air, in fact, at all - they were designed for machines, not life forms.”

“Okay, so how can we use the tunnels?” Seren asked, her mind racing as she tried to make use of what they had while encouraging the rest to do the same.

 _“There may not be air in the tunnels, but I can manipulate the oxygen field from here.”_ Zachary said over the comms, having been listening to the conversations that were occurring on the drilling platform. _“Create discrete pockets of atmosphere. If I control it manually, I can follow you through the network.”_

“What’s he gonna do?” Rose asked, confused. She had missed half of what was said and only tuned in near the end, still missing most of what was said.

“We’re going to down into the tunnels and Zachary will make the air follow us.” Siwan explained.

“Okay.” Rose said in a high voice, a bit frightened by the idea but not any better ones.

 _“Seren, you wanted me pressing buttons.”_ Zachary said, a hint of a smile in his voice.

“Yes, I did.” Seren said with a grin. She turned to Jefferson. “Think you and Zachary can work out a route to Ood Habitation?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jefferson said with a smile.

 _“Yes, ma’am.”_ Zachary said, a smile in his voice as well.

Seren rolled her eyes and moved away, letting the two men work out the best route. She made her way to Rose, who was gripping the comm tightly.

“Rose, any response?” Seren asked her.

“No, nothing yet.” Rose said sadly, shaking her head.

“Don’t worry.” Seren said soothingly. “Just keep trying.”

Rose nodded and turned back, looking down the deep chasm of the shaft. Seren sighed and prayed that the Doctor was okay. She was positive that if anything happened to him, she would feel it, but she didn’t know in absolute certainty. However, she knew that if she were to start panicking again, Rose would as well, which was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

Seren shook her head, shaking herself out of her sombre thoughts and made her way to Toby. The Archaeologist was sitting on the ground and making his notes in a small notebook.

“Toby, how are the translations coming?” Seren asked, crouching in front of him.

“Their slow, but I definitely understand some of it.” Toby replied, glancing at her.

“That’s good.” Seren said with a smile. “Keep at it for as long as possible.”

There was another bang at the door, sparks flying again. The Ood had only a few more door-bolts to cut through before they would be able to come through.

“Not that we have long.” Rose piped up.

“Rose.” Seren said with a hint of warning.

Rose raised her hands in surrender before turning back to the comm, calling for the Doctor. Like the last several times, she received no response and her shoulders slumped in despair. Seren squeezed Rose’s shoulders reassuringly as she passed by the blonde, checking on Danny and Siwan’s progress.

Rose watched her go and, not for the first time, was hit with a wave of admiration at how Seren was holding on. Rose knew that she was scared, not just of the Beast and the Ood, but the possibility of losing the Doctor as well. Still, she was taking charge and keeping the rest of them on track.

After checking on Siwan and Danny’s progress, coming along well given their time constriction and what they were facing, Seren turned to Jefferson.

“Mr. Jefferson, Zachary, how are we doing with the route?” Seren asked, looking at the screen.

 _“Just about worked it out.”_ Zachary replied through the comm. _“Got it.”_ He said a second later _. “I can lead you through the tunnels.”_

“And we can get in from the access point beneath the deck plating.” Jefferson added, nodding to a spot a few feet away from where he and Seren were standing.

The violent banging at the door indicated that the Ood were nearly through.

“Just in time.” Seren told Zachary before turning to the others. “Guys, time to go.”

Jefferson grabbed his gun while the twins grabbed their drawstring bags, hanging them around their wrists. Toby quickly tucked his notebook into his pocket and lifted up the piece of deck plating that lead into the tunnels.

“Danny!” Siwan yelled, looking back to see Danny still by the monitor.

“Hold on! Just conforming…” Danny said, frantically typing at the computer.

“Danny, we got to go now!” Jefferson yelled, standing with the rest of them by the tunnel entrance. There was another bang at the door, sparks flying again. “Come on!”

The monitor Danny was at beeped and the bottom corner turned green.

“Yeah!” Danny cheered, pulling an orange computer chip from the console and holding it up, hurrying towards them. “Put that in the monitor and it's a bad time to be an Ood!”

“We’re coming back, you understand?” Seren said firmly as Danny tucked the chip into his pocket. “We take care of the Ood, then we’re coming back here and we’re going to find a way to get the Doctor and Ida out of the shaft.”

“Okay.” Jefferson said, nodding. “Danny, you go first, then you, Rose, then Seren, then Siwan, then Toby.” Danny nodded and jumped down into the tunnel, quickly moving to the side. “I'll go last in defensive position.” There was another bang at the door as Rose jumped into the tunnel. “Now, come on, quick as you can!”

“God it stinks.” Rose said in disgust, holding her arm up over her nose as Seren jumped into the tunnel.

“It could be worse.” Seren said calmly as Siwan jumped into the tunnel. She turned to Danny. “You all right?”

Seren and Siwan were relatively unfazed by the terrible scent, both having worked in the medical field in some capacity at some point in their lives.

“Yeah, I'm laughing.” Danny replied sarcastically as Toby jumped into the tunnel. He lifted his communicator to his mouth. “Which way do we go?”

 _“Just go straight ahead.”_ Zachary replied. _“Keep going till I say so.”_

There was another bang at the door before it fell over just as Jefferson jumped into the tunnel.

“Go! Go! Go!” Jefferson shouted, closing the entrance above him when he saw the Ood in the doorway.

The group hurriedly began crawling down the tunnel on their hands and knees, the twins keeping their drawstring bags on their wrists while Jefferson had a tight grip on his gun with one hand as he crawled.

“Not your best angle, Danny.” Rose teased, looking at the man’s bum.

“Oi, stop it!” Danny snapped, glaring at the blonde.

“Rose.” Siwan said admonishingly, though there was a smile on her face.

“I dunno, it could be worse.” Toby remarked with a smirk, staring at Siwan’s bum, covered by her fitted jeans.

“Keep staring Toby and I’ll rip your eyes out.” Siwan said calmly, not breaking her stride or looking back.

The sound of Rose’s giggles filled the tunnel as Toby gulped audibly and quickly looked away in fear, under no illusion that the woman wouldn’t hesitate to carry out her threat. Jefferson glanced at Siwan appraisingly, getting the strange feeling that she wouldn’t hesitate to carry out her threat. He got the feeling that Seren and Siwan were both lethal on their own, but combined they were a force to be reckoned with. It didn’t matter that his eyes told him that the two were tiny, mere slips of women, he knew from a life time of military service that these twins were far more lethal than anything on the base.

Just the way they had taken charge and got them working together despite their fear was evidence enough that the women were strong and determined. The Doctor may have been the one who challenged the Beast, but it was the twins, Seren in particular, who had got them to use their minds and focus on something other than their overwhelming fear.

 _“Straight on until you find junction 7.1."_ Zachary said over the communicators. His voice took on a reassuring tone as he added _, “Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you.”_

As Zachary had told them, they continued until they reached 7.1. They stopped and sat by the junction gate, all of them out of breath from a combination of fear, crawling through the narrow space and the thin air.

“We’re at 7.1, sir.” Danny reported into his communicator, panting.

 _“Okay, I've got you.”_ Zachary said. _“I'm just aerating the next section.”_

"Getting kinda cramped, sir.” Danny said into the communicator, a tone of complaint in his voice. “Can't you hurry up?"

 _"I'm working on half-power here."_ Zachary replied.

“Stop complaining.” Jefferson ordered, panting.

"Mr. Jefferson says 'stop complaining.'" Rose said, looking at Danny.

“I heard.” Danny replied.

“He heard.” Rose said, looking at Jefferson.

“The air’s getting a bit thin.” Toby snapped into his communicator.

“ _He’s_ complaining now.” Rose told Jefferson.

“I heard.” Jefferson told her, rolling his eyes.

“He heard.” Rose said, looking at Toby.

“Rose, please stop that now.” Seren said firmly, looking at the blonde.

Danny wiped some sweat off his face, panting heavily. Rose sniffed and made a face of disgust.

"Danny, is that you?" Rose asked, her face scrunched in disgust.

“I’m not exactly happy.” Danny snapped defensively, looking at the blonde.

“Rose.” Siwan said warningly, looking at the blonde.

 _“I'm just moving the air.”_ Zachary informed them _. “I've got to oxygenate the next section.”_

“We need to remain calm or it's going to feel a lot worse.” Siwan said.

There was a loud clatter at the end of the tunnel and they snapped around to look. Jefferson shifted his position to give himself a better vantage point and aimed his gun in the direction of the sound.

“What was that?” Danny asked worriedly, getting to his knees so he could look over the rest of their heads.

"Mr. Jefferson, what was that?" Rose asked, frightened. She reached out and grabbed Seren and Siwan’s hands, holding tightly.

"What's that noise?" Toby asked fearfully.

"Captain...what was that?" Jefferson asked, his communicator at his mouth.

 _"The junction in Habitation 5's been opened."_ Zachary reported. _"It must be the Ood. They're in the tunnels!"_

"Well, open the gate!" Danny cried frantically into his communicator.

 _"I've gotta get the air in!"_ Zachary reminded him.

"Just open it!” Danny snapped before adding as an afterthought, “Sir."

“Where are they?” Seren asked.

“Are they close to our position?’ Siwan asked.

 _“I don't know.”_ Zachary replied to both questions. _“I can't tell, I can't_ see _them. The computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms.”_

“Whose dumb idea was that?” Rose asked. Neither Seren or Siwan bothered to reprimand her, both wondering the same thing and in much the same way - whose dumb idea was it?

“ _Open_ the gate!” Danny roared into his communicator.

Zachary opened the gate and they all hurried through it, crawling as fast as they could.

 _"Danny, turn left."_ Zachary instructed. _"Immediate left."_

They all quickly crawled through the tunnel, Jefferson crab-walking backwards with his gun aimed and ready at the end of the tunnel.

"The Ood, sir, can't you trap them?" Jefferson asked as they crawled/ crab-walked through the narrow tunnels. "Cut off the air?"

 _“Not without cutting off yours.”_ Zachary replied regretfully. _"Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan, they're gonna catch up!"_

Danny rushed forward frantically, the rest following behind him just as frantically.

“I’ll maintain defensive position!” Jefferson yelled from the rear as they all turned the corner to the next junction gate.

“You can’t stop!” Siwan yelled, stopping and looking at the soldier.

Jefferson sat down, blocking the path with his body and aimed his gun down the tunnel.

“Siwan, that’s my job. You and your sister have got your task, now see to it.” Jefferson said resolutely.

"You heard what he said, now _shift_!" Toby shouted, nudging Siwan forward.

Siwan leaned over and kissed Jefferson’s cheek lightly before hurrying down the tunnel, Toby behind her. They heard him fire his weapon seconds later as they hurriedly crawled through the tunnels. They could hear the echo of the bullets firing behind them as they reached the next junction gate.

"8.2." Danny called into his communicator. "Open 8.2. Zach! Open 8.2!"

 _“I've got to aerate it!”_ Zachary yelled back.

“Open it now!” Danny yelled.

 _“I'm trying!”_ Zachary yelled back.

Danny started thumping the gate in desperation.

“Danny, stop it.” Seren said, leaning over Rose and Grabbing Danny’s arm. “That's not helping.”

“Zach, get it open!” Toby yelled into his communicator.

 _“Jefferson, I've got to open 8.2 by closing 8.1.”_ Zachary said urgently. _“You've got to get past the junction! Now, move! That's an order, now move!”_ There was a pause as they heard Jefferson fire his weapon before all fire ceased entirely. _"I'm gonna lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop the automatics!"_

Junction Gate 8.2 opened, allowing them through.

“Come on!” Danny shouted, rushing through with Toby and the three women behind him.

 _"Danny, turn left and head for 9.2."_ Zachary ordered Danny. _"That's the last one. Jefferson… you've gotta move faster. John, move!_ Move _!"_

“Mr. Jefferson, come on!” Siwan shouted, glancing back and seeing him through the gate.

“Keep going!” Toby shouted, shoving her forward.

Jefferson picked up his speed but he was a fraction to slow, the gate closing a second before he reached it and cutting him off from the others.

 _“Regret to inform, sir. I was a bit slow.”_ Jefferson said over the communicators. _“Not so fast, these days.”_

 _“I can't open 8.1, John. Not without losing air for the others.”_ Zachary told Jefferson regretfully.

 _“And quite right too, sir. I think I bought them a little time.”_ Jefferson told Zachary reassuringly.

The twins, Danny, Rose and Toby stopped at the 9.2 junction gate and sat down. They could hear Jefferson’s conversation with Zachary as they panted for breath.

 _“There's nothing I can do, John.”_ Zachary said sadly. _“I'm sorry.”_

 _“You've done enough, sir. Made a very good captain under the circumstances.”_ Jefferson said reassuringly, a light chuckle in his voice. Rose blinked back her tears at the conversation, realizing that the older man was going to die. Seren reached out and took her hand, holding it gently. Danny looked at the ground in front of him, filled with sorry. _“May I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section, can you speed up the process of its removal?”_

 _"I don't understand. What do you mean?"_ Zachary asked in confusion as his voice broke.

 _"Well...if I might choose the manner of my departure, sir...lack of air seems more natural than...well...let's say...death by Ood.”_ Jefferson explained. _“I'd appreciate it, sir!"_

 _"Godspeed, Mr. Jefferson."_ Zachary said quietly, his tone somber.

 _"Thank you, sir."_ Jefferson said.

Seren closed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall of the tunnel behind her, a tear escaping her lashes and making its way down her snow-white cheek. Rose bit her lip and buried her face in her knees. Siwan wrapped her arm around the blonde as much as she could, tears in her own eyes.

 _“Report. Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD deceased with honors. 43K 2.1.”_ Zachary said quietly a moment later, his tone somber.

“Zach, we're at the final junction. 9.2.” Danny said quietly in to his communicator, his voice breaking. He paused for a moment before adding, “And, uh… if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives.”

 _“Noted.”_ Zachary replied. _“Opening 9.2.”_

The gate opened and revealed a horde of Ood behind it, waiting. Danny, Seren, Siwan, Rose and Toby scrambled back, away from the Ood in shock.

“Lower 9.2!” Seren shouted.

“Lower it!” Rose shouted.

“Back! Back! Back!” Siwan shouted, turning around and frantically crawling back the way they came.

"We can't go back!" Toby argued as the junction gate closed. "The 8.2’s sealed off, we're stuck!"

Seren looked up and noticed the grilling above their heads. She remembered the last time they had been trapped and surrounded, they had gone down. This time, they could go _up_.

“Come on! Up!” Seren shouted, lifting the grilling and moving it away. She quickly climbed through it and into the corridor above, followed by Danny, Rose and Siwan. “Toby, come on!” Seren shouted down to the Archaeologist.

“Toby, get out of there!” Rose shouted.

"Help me!" Toby shouted, reaching his arms out to them. "Oh, my God, help me!"

Danny and Siwan reached down and grabbed his arms, hoisting him through the hole. Once he was through, Seren closed the grilling to try and buy them some more time. Unfortunately, the door behind them opened, admitting several more Ood who slowly advanced on them.

"It's this way!" Danny shouted, running in the opposite direction.

Seren, Siwan, Rose and Toby ran behind him through the corridors, the Ood following in an almost unison march.

 _“Hurry it up!”_ Zachary yelled, reminding them that they weren’t the only ones about to have a confrontation with the Ood.

They ran into Ood Habitation, heading straight for the control panel. The Ood in the pen below looked up at them, their eyes glowing the same eerie red as the ones they had encountered everywhere else on the base.

“Quickly, Danny!” Seren urged.

“Get it in!” Rose shouted, her gaze firmly on the Ood that were looking up at them.

“Danny, get it done!” Toby shouted.

“Transmit!” Siwan shouted.

“I'm trying, I'm trying!” Danny said, searching his pockets for the chip as the Ood came up the stairs from the pen. “I'm getting at it.”

Seren and Siwan pulled their Bo Staffs out of their bags and extended them, moving to stand in front of Rose, Toby and Danny.

“Stop them!” Toby shouted at Danny.

“Danny, get that thing transmitting!” Rose shouted. “Seren, Siwan, make sure your shields are up!”

With shaking hands, Danny inserted the chip into the console. He watched as the reading on the screen fell from Basic 100 to Basic 0, flat-lining.

An electronic screech sounded and the Ood froze where they were, grabbing their heads and writhing in pain. Seren and Siwan moaned, their jaws clenched as they fought against the overwhelming pain and struggled to keep their shields up. Finally, after several seconds that could also have been hours or even Ages, the Ood collapsed to the ground. The twins breathed in relief while tears of sorrow filled their eyes at the sight of the Ood all around them.

“Seren, Siwan, are you alright?” Rose asked, looking at the twins in concern.

“Yeah, we’re okay.” Seren said with a nod, blinking back the tears and looking at Rose with a smile.

A smile crossed Rose’s face when she saw that the twins were okay. Rose paused just long enough for them to tuck their Bo Staffs back into their purses before wrapping her arms around them tightly in a three-way hug.

“You did it!” The blonde exclaimed happily, letting go of the twins and looking at Danny. “We did it!”

“Yes!” Danny cheered, hugging Rose tightly. “Oh, yes!”

Seren and Siwan hugged each other tightly before pulling apart. Siwan hugged Danny while Seren hugged Toby, all of them ecstatic. Seren let go of Toby and grabbed the comm from the console while Swan hugged him.

“Zachary, the Ood are down.” Seren said into the comm, Toby moving to hug Danny while Siwan hugged Rose again. “We’re going back to the drilling platform to try and get Ida and the Doctor.”

 _"I'm on my way."_ Zach replied.

Seren dropped the comm on the console and they all ran out of Ood Habitation, heading back to the drilling platform. Along the way, they saw several Ood laying on the ground unconscious and the twins barely managed to hold back their shudders at the sight, remembering the few seconds of agony they had experienced.

Running to the drilling platform, Seren headed straight for the comm and picked it up.

“ _Cariad_ , can you hear me?” Seren asked as Zachary ran onto the platform. “Doctor, Ida, are you there?”

“The comms are still down, Seren.” Zachary said, moving up to the console. “I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute.”

He frantically typed on the keyboard for several tense seconds, Seren nervously playing with a lock of her long dark hair.

“Okay, we’re patched through.” Zachary said, looking at Seren and nodding.

“Doctor? Ida? Can you hear me?” Seren called into the comm. “ _Cariad,_ are you there?”

 _“He’s gone.”_ Ida said in a soft voice.

“What do you mean ‘he’s gone’?” Seren asked quietly, her eyes wide in disbelief.

 _“He fell into the Pit.”_ Ida said _. “And I don't know how deep it is. Miles and miles and miles.”_

“What do you mean ‘he fell’?” Seren asked, unable to comprehend what Ida was saying.

“I couldn't stop him.” Ida said sadly. “He said to tell you he loved you. And that he was so happy he found you and Siwan again.”

Seren felt herself going numb and she didn’t protest when Zachary gently took the comm from her limp hand. She could hear him speaking to Ida but she couldn’t understand the words, it was like trying to hear while under water. She felt someone wrap their arms around her but she couldn’t tell who it was. All that she could hear was Ida’s words, _‘He fell’_ , _‘Into the Pit’_ , _‘He loved you’_. Her eyes filled with tears and they streamed down her face in crystal clear rivers, completely unchecked and without pause. He was gone, her Mad Man was gone, her Doctor was gone.

Slowly, words penetrated Seren’s subconscious and she could hear Zachary speaking.

“…the retrotropes online. Then get to the rocket and strap yourselves in.” The captain was saying. “We're leaving.”

“I’m not going.” Seren said firmly, looking at Zachary. “Rose, Siwan, the two of you go with them, but I’m not going anywhere.”

“Seren, there’s space for you as well.” Zachary said gently. He looked Seren in the eyes before looking away a second later, unable to bear the sight of the heartbreak and agony in the large, expressive gold-rimmed purple eyes.

“No, I’m going to wait for the Doctor.” Seren said firmly. “I’m going to wait for him just as he waited for me. However long it takes.”

“I’m sorry, Seren. But he’s dead.” Zachary said. “And you’ve got Rose and Siwan to look after.”

“You two have each other.” Seren said tearfully, looking at Rose and Siwan before looking back at Zachary. “I’m not leaving him alone, all the way down there. I’m staying and that’s final.”

“Then I apologize for this.” Zachary said before looking at Danny and Toby. “Danny, Toby? Make her secure.”

Rose and Siwan stepped back as the two men grabbed Seren by the arms. Seren immediately reached out and kicked Toby in the leg, destabilizing his posture and making him loosen his grip on her arm. Seren pulled her arm out of his loosened grip and crocked her elbow, hitting him in the jaw.

Rose and Siwan watched as Seren fought the two men. A part of them wanted to help her, knowing how she felt, but the other part, the stronger part, wasn’t ready to leave her behind, even if it was her own wish. If they wanted Seren to go with them, then the men would have to fight to get her on board their rocket because Siwan wasn’t going to interfere, especially because if the roles were reversed, _she_ would be fighting to stay behind and wait for Adam. So Siwan stayed back with Rose beside her, and they watched the two men fight against the heart-broken Welshwoman.

“Argh!” Toby cried, stumbling backward and covering his face with his hands.

“I. Am. Not. Leaving!” Seren growled as she spun around and punched Danny in the face, using the heel of her palm to thrust upward into his nose, breaking it.

Danny stumbled backwards just as Toby did, his hands flying to his broken nose as blood poured out. While Seren was glaring fiercely at Toby and Danny, Zachary came up behind her and injected her arm with a sedative before she could fight back.

“No.” Seren breathed as the sedative worked its way through her body.

“I have lost too many people. I am not leaving you behind.” Zachary said firmly.

That was the last thing she heard before she passed out completely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seren slowly regained consciousness, voices drifting in and out of her hearing.

“…C-Clamp, raising blue nitrates…” Zachary’s voice said.

“…ready to go, sir…. get us out of here!” Toby’s voice said, sounding frantic.

“Captain… think we’re… a problem passenger.” Danny’s voice said.

“Keep an eye on her.” Zachary ordered.

“Wait.” Seren said groaning, putting a hand to her throbbing head. “We’re not…”

“It’s all right, Seren, you’re safe.” Rose said soothingly, sitting in the co-pilot seat with Siwan in her lap.

The Welshwoman’s tiny frame made it possible for the two of them to be strapped to the same seat. Seren was behind them with Toby next her and Danny on the end. Zachary was piloting.

Siwan had Seren’s drawstring hanging from her wrist as well as her own hanging from the other. Danny had blood spattered along the front of his clothes from the broken nose Seren had given him, though the bleeding itself had stopped. Toby had a dark bruise forming along his chin and jaw from when Seren had hit him.

“No!” Seren cried, struggling against the strap holding her in her seat. “Get me out of here! I’m not leaving him!”

“And… lift off!” Zachary shouted as they blasted off from the ground. “Whoo!”

The enthusiastic cheer was echoed by Toby and Danny, though Siwan and Rose remained silent and Seren continued to struggle against her seat strap. Seren spotted the bolt-gun that Zachary took from the base and lunged forward, grabbing it.

“Take me back.” Seren ordered, pointing the bolt-gun at Zachary. Zachary didn’t reply or make a move while Siwan and Rose looked at her, the blonde with shock written across her face. “Take me back, now!”

“Or what?” Zachary asked.

“Or I shoot you.” Seren replied, without any hesitation.

Zachary turned and looked at her, taking in the firm grip she had on the bolt-gun and the steadiness of her arm as she pointed it at him. Looking into her eyes, he saw that they had become completely hard, mimicking the jewels they were named after. He hadn’t believed that Seren had it in her to shoot him, but seeing her, he realized that he was wrong. Seren definitely would shoot him if she had to.

Danny and Toby’s eyes darted between Seren and the bolt-gun, both terrified of what she would do. They both saw the same thing as Zachary – the firm grip, the steady arm, the hardened eyes. This woman wouldn’t hesitate to shoot Zachary.

Siwan reached out and put her hand over Seren’s, gently lowering the bolt-gun.

“Seren, your Mad Man wouldn’t want you to kill Zachary to return to him.” Siwan said gently.

Seren relaxed her grip on the gun but turned her hard gaze on her sister and god-sister.

“Why?” Seren asked through gritted teeth, her voice filled with pain. “Why didn’t you leave me with him? You would have wanted to stay if it were Adam. I _know_ you would!”

“Because I need you, Seren!” Siwan shouted, her eyes filled with tears at her own actions and the pain it caused the other woman. “You’re right, if it were Adam down there, I would have wanted to stay. But we’re alone here. Just you, me and Rose. I can’t walk the Universe without you.”

Seren blinked as tears ran down her face. She had been so caught up in her anger that she didn’t realize what her staying behind would have done to Siwan and Rose. Rose would die in time, but Siwan would be faced with eternity alone, especially since they didn’t know if Adam was waiting for her or if he was even still alive.

“I’m sorry.” Seren said softly, putting the bolt-gun down and reaching out to the two women, taking their hands. “I didn’t realize what my actions were doing to you.”

“Hey, you’re an idiot in love.” Rose said, laughing through her tears. “That can be forgiven.”

“Definitely.” Siwan said, laughing lightly and wiping her tears away with her free hand.

Seren let go of Siwan and Rose’s hands and turned to Zachary, seeing him facing the front and piloting them.

“Zachary, I’m sorry.” Seren said sincerely.

“It’s okay.” Zachary said, glancing at her. “Like Rose said, you’re an idiot in love.” He laughed lightly before adding in a soft, gentle tone, “It’s too late anyway. Take a look outside. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted." Seren unbuckled her seatbelt and looked outside the window to see them speeding away from the Black Hole. “Isn’t that right?”

She sighed sadly, watching the Black Hole get smaller with every second. She slowly sat back down, buckling herself back in. Beside her, Toby started to laugh quietly to himself before it became full blown chuckles.

“What’s the joke?” Danny asked, looking irritated.

"Just...we made it." Toby replied, a relieved chuckle escaping his lips. "We escaped. We actually did it."

“Not all of us.” Rose reminded him quietly, keeping a firm hold on Siwan’s waist.

“And we’re not out of it yet.” Zachary added in agreement. "We're still the first people in history to fly _away_ from a Black Hole. Toby, read me that stat’s."

"Gravity funnel holding, sir.” Toby replied with a bright grin, looking at the readings above him. “Ooh, it’s holding!" He stopped grinning as he continued to read the stats. “Stats at 53. Funnel stable at 66.5. Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir, all the way back home.” Seren looked despondently out of the window, watching the Black Hole get smaller. “Coordinates set for Planet Earth.”

“Something doesn’t make sense.” Seren said, frowning thoughtfully. Something was bugging her, something about how they managed to escape.

“What doesn’t?” Rose asked, her and Siwan shifting slightly so they could both look behind them at the other woman.

“There are over a thousand ways the Beast could’ve killed us, but we still escaped.” Seren remarked, still thoughtful.

“Well, if your stories are anything to go by, this is just a regular day.” Siwan pointed out. It wouldn’t be the first time they managed to escape from seemingly inescapable odds. She frowned thoughtfully, her mind racing as she thought about her sister’s words. “But you do have a point. It could’ve ripped us out of the air or even burnt us or any number of other things.”

“Exactly.” Seren said, nodding. “But it let us go - why? Unless… it _wanted_ us to escape.”

"Hey, Seren, do us a favor…" Toby said, leaning towards her. "Shut up." Seren stared at him as he looked away, turning back to the readings above him. "Almost there. We'll be beyond the reach of the Black Hole in 40...39..."

Suddenly the rocket began to shake violently.

“What happened?” Danny asked, looking around panicked. He gripped his seat tightly with both hands. “What was that?”

"What's he doing?" Toby asked frantically with wide eyes, clearly not talking about anything going on in the rocket. "What is he doing?"

“We’ve lost the funnel!” Zachary shouted. “Gravity collapse!”

“What does that mean?” Rose shouted, holding Siwan’s wait with one hand and the seat with the other.

“We can’t escape!” Siwan replied, holding onto the handle bars above her tightly. Zachary gritted his teeth, struggling to pilot the rocket against the overwhelming pull of the Black Hole. “We’re headed straight for the Black Hole!”

The rocket hurtled towards the Black Hole, despite Zachary’s best efforts to pilot them away.

"It's the planet!" Seren shouted, turning to look out the side window when she caught sight of something from the corner of her eye. "The planet's moving. It's falling into the Black Hole."

Seren sat back in her seat with a dejected sigh and glanced at Toby. She reeled back in shock at what she saw - he was glaring at her, his eyes red and the black ancient symbols over his skin once more.

“ **** **I am the rage.** ” Toby said, speaking in the deep, guttural voice the Beast and the Ood had used.

“It’s Toby!” Seren shouted.

" **And the bile and the ferocity!** " Toby continued.

“Zach, do something!” Rose shouted in panic, looking over at the captain.

“ **** **I am the Prince and the Fall and the enemy. I am the sin and the fear and the darkness!** ”

“It's him! It's him! It's him!” Danny shouted fearfully, scrambling back as much as he could while remaining strapped in his seat.

“Stay where you are!” Siwan shouted. "The ship’s not stable!”

Toby roared, letting out a breath of fire.

“What is he?” Zachary asked fearfully, glancing at Toby with wide eyes. “What the hell is he?!”

“ **** **I shall never die. The thought of me is forever. In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust.** ” Toby said. Getting a crazy idea, Seren picked up the bolt-gun and glanced at Siwan and Rose, making sure they were buckled in tightly. “ **** **Nothing shall ever destroy me. Nothing!** ”

“Go to Hell, you son of a bitch.” Seren said in a dark tone.

Seren aimed the bolt-gun at the front screen and fired the bolt, shattering the glass. The cold vacuum of space sucked at them and Seren reached over to Toby, unfastening his seat-belt. With nothing holding him back against the vacuum, Toby was sucked out and hurtled straight towards the Black Hole as he roared in anger and fear.

"Emergency shield!" Zachary shouted, pressing the necessary button. An emergency shield activated, covering the opening with a darkly tinted screen. The rocket continued to shudder and shake, still headed for the Black Hole, "We've still lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole!"

“But we stopped him.” Seren said, holding onto the seat with one hand and the handle bar above her with the other.

“It’s what the Doctor would’ve done.” Rose added softly.

“Some victory.” Zachary muttered. “We're going in…”

“The planet's lost orbit. It's falling!” Danny exclaimed fearfully, looking at the readings above him. The screen beeped, and the readings faded before it turned red. “The planet's gone. I'm sorry.”

“Accelerate.” Zachary said, trying to control the shaking of the rocket. “I did my best.”

“Yeah, you did.” Siwan said, smiling at him gently.

“But hey! The first human beings to fall inside a Black Hole.” Zachary said with a snort. “How about that? History.”

The shaking increased as they neared the Black Hole and they tightened their grips. For several seconds, the rocket shaking violently and all they could do was hold on tightly. Suddenly, the shaking stopped and they all exchanged looks, completely confused.

“What happened?” Rose asked, confused.

They all slid to the side, their seat straps the only thing keeping them from sliding into each other.

“We’re turning.” Seren said softly, a frown on her face.

“She’s right. We’re turning around.” Zachary said, a bright smile blooming on his face. “We’re turning away!”

 _“Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the good ship TARDIS.”_ The Doctor said over the communicator. Seren let out a laugh of relief, her heart lightening at hearing her Mad Man’s voice. _“Now, first thing's first. Have you got a Seren Jones, a Siwan Jones and a Rose Tyler on board?”_

“Yes!” Seren exclaimed, tears of happiness in her eyes. “We’re here! Oh, _Cariad_ , it’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Where are you?” Rose asked as Seren laughed delightedly behind her.

 _“I'm just towing you home.”_ The Doctor replied _. “Gravity schmavity. My people practically invented Black Holes. Well, in fact, they did.”_

“Somehow, I can believe that.” Siwan muttered with a bright smile.

 _“In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe.”_ The Doctor continued, ignoring Siwan’s comment. _“Oh, and Captain? Can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Seren Jones, Siwan Jones and Rose Tyler, I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?”_

“She’s alive?!” Zachary exclaimed in relief, a bright grin on his face at hearing the news.

“Yes! Thank God!” Danny exclaimed, his own delighted laughter mixing with Seren’s.

 _“Yeah!”_ The Doctor said, happiness in his voice. _“Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right.”_ He paused before adding in a slightly more somber tone. _“I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet.”_ Seren and Danny stopped laughing, their grins fading at the remembrance of the aliens that had served them so faithfully until they were possessed. There was a beeping sound that Seren recognized as the TARDIS monitor. _“Ah!”_ The Doctor exclaimed, his voice cheerful once again. _“Entering clear space. End of the line. Mission Closed.”_

A few minutes later, Ida was transported to the rocket while Seren, Siwan and Rose entered the TARDIS. All three of them beamed joyously when they saw the Doctor standing at the console, still wearing his spacesuit, but without the helmet. Seren ran up to him and hugged him tightly while Siwan gently closed the door.

“I almost lost you.” Seren breathed into his ear, tears filling her eyes as she held him tightly.

They pulled apart and looked at each other from head to toe, memorizing every detail of the other’s features. The Doctor gently brushed away the few tears that escaped Seren's lashes and tenderly kissed the apples of her cheeks, beneath each eye. He pulled back and gazed at her before leaning down and capturing her lips in a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer and holding him tightly to her just as he held her, never breaking the kiss.

They slowly pulled apart and rested their foreheads together, just holding each other close. Siwan and Rose, seeing that the couple were completely lost in one another, slowly made their way out of the console room.

“Where do you think you two are going?” The Doctor asked in an almost stern tone when he saw them move to leave from the corner of his eye.

Rose and Siwan stopped at the doorway and turned around to look at them, shrugging sheepishly.

“You two were a bit busy.” Siwan said, gesturing to the tight grip they had on each other. “We didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Come here!” Seren exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

She held one arm out to the two women as the Doctor did the same while one arm remained wrapped around the other’s waist. Siwan and Rose ran to them and the four time travellers wrapped each other in a tight group hug.

Slowly they pulled apart and separated from each other, the Doctor turning to the console’s communicator.

“Zach, we’ll be off now.” The Doctor said to the captain. Rose and Siwan moved away from the console, leaning back against the coral pillars while Seren stayed beside the Doctor, wrapped in his arms. “Have a good trip home. And the next time you get curious about something…”

“ _Cariad,_ you should know by now that they’ll just go straight in.” Seren said, looking up at the Time Lord fondly.

“The Human Race!” The Doctor sighed, nodding in agreement to Seren’s comment.

 _“But Doctor, what did you find down there?”_ Ida asked. _“That creature, what was it?”_

“I don’t know. Never did decipher that writing.” The Doctor replied, fiddling with the buttons on the console. Seren looked at him with a raised eyebrow, not believing him. “But that’s good! Day I know everything? Might as well stop.”

“What do you think it was?” Siwan asked curiously, sitting down on the jump seat and removing her heeled boots.

“I think… we beat it.” The Doctor replied, glancing behind him to look at Siwan.

“Good enough for me.” Siwan muttered, standing up and Stretching, her boots on the ground beside her.

“It said I was going to die in battle.” Rose said quietly, perched on the railing beside the jump seat.

“Then it lied.” Seren said firmly, her and the Doctor looking at the blonde.

Rose smiled tremulously at them as the Doctor turned back to the console.

“Right! Onwards! Upwards!” The Doctor exclaimed. “Ida? See you again, maybe.”

“I hope so.” Ida replied.

“And thank you, boys!” Seren called, turning her attention back to the communicator.

“Yeah, thank you!” Siwan called.

“Thanks!” Rose called.

“Hang on though, Doctor.” Ida said before the connection could be cut. “You never really said. You four, who are you?”

The Doctor, Seren, Rose and Siwan smiled at each other.

“Oh, the stuff of legend.” The Doctor replied, a manic grin on his face.

He pulled a lever and the TARDIS engines whirred to life, sending them into the Time Vortex.

_ Links: _

_*Siwan's Mark -[https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879470503082/ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879470503082/)_


	13. Fear Her

_ Notes: I haven’t done a chapter for ‘Love & Monsters’ simply because I wasn’t entirely sure how to work it, especially since it’s a ‘Companion-lite’ and ‘Doctor-lite’ episode. However, I will be making reference to it in some form in this chapter. _

**Fear Her**

The TARDIS materialized with her typical wheezing and grinding in a carpark, between two massive crates. The Doctor opened the door and found that he was facing one of the crates, his path completely blocked.

“Ah.” The Doctor muttered as he closed the door.

“Door blocked again?” Seren asked with a grin, perched halfway up a coral pillar in a Y-beam with a massive book in her hands.

She was dressed in a thin, floral patterned, light green V-neck blouse with thick straps that crossed behind her back, a pair of white trousers and 5” high heeled tanned platform sandals. She wore a pair of silver hoop earrings in her ears and a silver cuff bracelet on her left wrist, the matching white and tan purse* on the floor by the pillar. She had her hair in a ‘flip twist’ low ponytail*, held with a light green ribbon matching her blouse. As always, her perception filter ring was on her right ring finger.

“Just a bit.” The Doctor muttered going back to the console.

He pulled a lever and pressed a button, turning the TARDIS 90 degrees and facing outwards. Seren jumped down from her perch, landing gracefully on silent, high heeled feet in front of him with a grin.

“Ready to explore?” Seren asked, turning to look at Rose and Siwan.

“Yup!” Siwan chirped, hopping off the railing she was perched on and tucking her mobile into her purse.

She was dressed in a grass-green sleeveless blouse, a pair of black wide-leg trousers and a pair of 5” black and white cross-over pumps, her matching grass-green purse* hanging off her elbow. She had a pair of grass-green diamond studs in her ears and her glasses perched on her nose. Her long raven blue-black hair was held back with a thick Dutch braided headband, the rest loose down her back in a cascade of curls starting at mid-back*.

“Oh yeah!” Rose said excitedly, getting of the jump seat and stretching, a wide grin on her face.

She saw dressed in a yellow t-shirt with a jean jacket on top and a pair of dark brown boots tucked under darker blue denim jeans. Her short hair was swept into a side pony with several strands hanging loose and she had her usual silver hoop earrings in her ears.

The Doctor opened the door and grinned when he saw the clear path, happy he managed to get the landing right on the second go.

“Aah!” He said happily, stepping out.

Seren, Siwan and Rose stepped out behind him and looked around their surroundings. Rose noticed a line of Shayne Ward posters tacked to a nearby fence and moved closer for a better look.

“How’s Aunt Jackie doing?” Seren asked Siwan, looping her arm through the Doctor’s.

“She’s still a bit upset about what had happened with Elton, but she’s doing okay.” Siwan replied. “Adam is at the flat with her.”

They had just had a brief stay in their own time, London 2007, that had initially been brought on by Jackie calling and informing them about a man named Elton Pope. Jackie had found photos of Seren, Siwan and Rose in his pocket and after confronting him, he revealed that he had been looking for the Doctor. The Doctor didn’t hesitate to bring the twins and Rose to Elton Pope so they could confront him about upsetting Jackie. During the confrontation, the three women were so preoccupied with ranting at Elton that, at first, they didn’t notice the Abzorbaloff (an alien from Raxacoricofallapatorius’ twin planet Clom) until the man pointed it out. The Abzorbaloff’s plan was stopped by Elton’s friends who had been absorbed by the alien, after which the Doctor revealed what had really happened the night Elton’s mother died and managed to partially reconstruct Elton’s girlfriend into a slab of stone.

“That’s good.” The Doctor commented, nodding.

“He’s trying to make sure that he can spend more time with her so she wouldn’t be alone, but there’s only so much he can do with work.” Siwan added with a sigh, looking out into the distance and absently fiddling with a lock of her hair that had come to the front.

“She’ll be okay.” Seren said reassuringly. “We knew this was going to be difficult for everyone. And remember, Amanda did decide to move in with Aunt Jackie for a few months. At least until the Estate life begins driving her insane.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Siwan said.

“So, near future, yeah?” Rose asked, looking over at them.

“I had a passing fancy.” The Doctor said with a shrug. “Only it didn’t pass, it stopped.”

Seren shook her head and the four of them headed out of the car park, towards the nearest street. Above them hung a large banner with the symbolic Olympic rings and ‘London 2012’ emblazoned across it in equally large characters.

“30 th Olympiad.” Seren said, looking up at the banner.

“No way!” Rose squealed excitedly, running a few steps ahead of Seren, Siwan and the Doctor, looking around the street excitedly. “Why didn’t I think of this? That’s great.”

“Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about.” The Doctor commented.

“Adam among them.” Siwan added, a slightly dreamy expression on her face as she thought about her Immortal boyfriend.

“Wrestling each other in the sand with crowds stood around baying... No, wait a minute,” The Doctor continued before pausing, a frown on his face. “That was Club Med.” He laughed and nudged Seren, who just rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “Just in time for the opening doo dah ceremony tonight, I thought you ladies would like that.” Seren noticed a man putting flyers up on the lamp posts, a sorrow-filled expression on his face. “Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, 1948. I loved it so much, I went back and watched it all over again.” Seren stopped walking, her hand slipping out of the Doctor’s hold. “Fella carrying the torch. Lovely chap, what was his name…?”

The Doctor continued forward, unaware that Seren, Rose and Siwan had their attention focused elsewhere. The three women went to the lamp post and looked at the flyers, seeing them to be ‘Missing Persons’ posters.

"Mark? John? Mark?” The Doctor wondered out loud. “Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet…"

“Doctor.” Rose called, her gaze firmly fixed on the posters.

The lamp post was covered with the posters, each paper containing information of a different person, a different  _ child _ .

“And in those days, everybody had a tea party to go to.” The Doctor continued, oblivious.

“Doctor!” Siwan called, standing beside Seren and Rose.

“Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top?” The Doctor asked as he turned around to look at them.

_ "Cariad _ , I think you should look at this.” Seren said in a slightly raised voice, pointing at the posters.

“Do you know those things?” He asked, moving towards them to see what had caught their attention. “Nobody else in this entire galaxy's ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius!” He reached the three women and looked at the posters. His grin faded and he became serious, reading the information provided. “What’s taking them, do you think?”

“Snatching children from a completely ordinary street like this.” Seren said softly, looking up and down the street they were on.

“What I don’t get is why it’s so cold.” Siwan muttered, rubbing her bare arms. “It’s summer for Lyr’s sake! Is someone purposefully reducing the temperature or something?”

“It says they all went missing this week.” Rose said, reading the posters. “Why would a person do something like this?”

“What makes you think it’s a person?” The Doctor asked, looking at Rose curiously.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” Siwan said softly, heaving a heavy sigh. “I’ve been with Adam when he’s working cases of missing children with the police. Sometimes, the parents themselves say it was better not knowing what had happened to their children, because the reality is so much worse.”

“But there’s never been a massive number from one street. Or from a specific, concentrated area.” Seren pointed out, having been the one to give a listening ear to the couple when the stress of work became too much for them.

The Doctor tugged Seren’s arm and gestured down the street before heading in the same direction. Seren frowned and followed, wondering what had caught his attention.

“Whatever it is, it’s got the entire street scared to death.” Rose pointed out.

They watched as a woman put a bag of garbage on the curb before hurrying back inside, glancing around nervously – barely a few seconds passing from the time she walked out to the time she went back in. There was no one else on the street aside from a team of Council road-menders and their white van.

“Doctor, what…?” Siwan started, trailing off when she saw that the Time Lord and her sister had taken off. “Come on, Rose. Let’s go see what caught their attention.”

“Is it possible one of the children could be a Chosen One?” Rose asked, looking at Siwan as they headed down the road, towards the Doctor and Seren.

“No.” Siwan replied, shaking her head. “If one was, it wouldn’t have gone on this long. The moment a Chosen One would have been taken, the Mara would have unleashed their fury, especially if the Child hadn’t made their first Choice.”

Rose nodded in understanding. A part of her glad that a Chosen One hadn’t been taken, though she still feeling a profound sense of sorrow for the missing children.

A short distance away, Seren stood on the sidewalk and watched as the Doctor walked around the front lawn. The Time Lord had his hand out on front of him, palm down, as he felt for something. He crouched down on front of the football goal, his hand still out and hovering over the grass.

“Hmm, tickles.” The Doctor said quietly, grinning.

“What is it?” Seren asked, crouching next to him.

“What’s your game?!” A voice asked from behind them, the tone calm but holding an undercurrent of anger.

The Doctor and Seren looked up and saw a middle-aged man standing behind them, his hands in his pockets and frowning down at the pair. The man had exhaustion lines across his face and bags under his eyes, indicating several sleepless nights.

“My, um... Snakes and Ladders?” The Doctor replied questioningly. “Quite good at squash... Reasonable.” The man didn’t look at all impressed by the pair crouching on his front lawn. “I’m…” The Doctor looked at Seren.”…being facetious, aren't I?” Seren rolled her eyes and nodded. “There's no call for it.”

The man grabbed the Doctor’s arm, hauling him to his feet before shoving him back to the street. Seren sighed and got to her feet as well, following the Doctor as he backed away from the furious man.

“Sir, we’re police officers.” Seren said calmly as the man geared up to begin ranting at the Doctor. “We’re investigating the disappearances of the children around this street.”

“Yes, we’re-we’re police officers.” The Doctor agreed, nodding frantically as they joined the group surrounding Rose and Siwan. "We've got a badge…and…and a police car... You don't have to get…I can-I can prove it! Just hold on…"

“We’ve had plenty of coppers poking around here, and you don’t look or sound like any of ‘em.” The man said roughly as the Doctor fished through his pockets for his psychic paper.

"See? Look! We've got colleagues!" The Doctor added, gesturing to Rose and Siwan who were standing with a dark-skinned road-mender. "Lewis and Dr. Jones."

At the name she was given, Rose shot the Doctor a disgruntled look. He shot her a look in response, silently telling her that it was the first name he came up with.

“The blonde looks less like a copper than you two do.” The man snapped, glaring at the Time Lord and Seren.

Siwan’s pant-suit and glasses gave her a slightly more professional look than the other two women.

“Training.” Seren said in explanation. “She’s a new recruit.”

"It was either that or hair-dressing, so..." The Doctor added, pulling out the psychic paper and brandishing it at the man. "Voila!"

"What are you going to do?" A middle aged dark-skinned woman asked, walking over.

“The police have knocked on every door.” An elderly woman said, shaking her head sadly. “No clues, no leads, nothing!”

"Look, kids run off sometimes, alright?" The man argued. "That's what they do…"

“I saw it with me own eyes.” The elderly woman said, looking at the man. “Dale Hicks in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then… pfft!” She mimed something disappearing in front of her. “Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us!”

"Why don't we…?" The Doctor started.

"Why don't we start with him?" Another middle-aged woman, a redhead, interrupted, striding over and pointing at the road-mender, "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."

“Fixing things up for the Olympics!” The road-mender cried indignantly.

"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it." Tommy's dad complained.

"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is just…" The Doctor tried again.

"You don't…what you just said, that's slander!" The road-mender cut in this time.

"I don't care what it is!" The redheaded woman shouted.

"I think we need to just…" The Doctor tried again.

"I want an apology off her!" The road-mender demanded, pointing at the redhead and glaring.

"Stop picking on him." The elderly woman chided in defence of the road-mender.

"Yeah, stop picking on me!" The road-mender said, still glaring at the redhead.

"And stop pretending to be blind! It's evil!" The elderly woman said insistently.

“I don’t believe in evil.” The redhead said, glaring at the road-mender.

“Oh no, you just believe in Tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van!” The road-mender snapped angrily.

"Ay, ay, ay, that's not what she's saying," Tommy's dad said in defence of the redhead.

"Would you stop ganging up on me?" The road-mender snapped.

"Feeling guilty, are we?" The redhead demanded shrilly.

The Doctor sighed as the arguing became more intense, shooting Seren a pleading look.

“FINGERS ON LIPS!” Seren shouted suddenly, putting a neatly manicured index finger on her plush lips.

Siwan, Rose and the Doctor bit back their smirks, following suit and putting their index fingers on their lips. Seren glared around at each person, waiting for them to do the same. Slowly but surely, they all did so.

“Now, we would like to speak to you regarding the disappearances. So, if you would all keep your fingers on your lips, it would be much appreciated.” Seren said in a calm voice, her finger still on her lips. She paused for a moment, looking around at each person. “Great. Doctor, you want to start?”

“Thank you.” The Doctor said with a grin, his finger still on his lips as well. The grin faded and he became serious, turning to the parents. “In the last 6 days, 3 of your children have been stolen.”

“Snatched out of thin air, right?” Seren added.

“Er, can I?” The elderly woman asked, gesturing to the two that she wanted to speak. The Doctor nodded. "Look around you...this was a safe street 'til it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no-one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?"

Siwan glanced up and saw a young dark-skinned girl looking out from the window. Rose followed her gaze and looked up towards the girl as well.

“Yes.” Seren said gently. “We will do everything we can to help you.”

“Where do you wanna start?” Rose asked, turning away from the girl in the window and looking at Seren and the Doctor.

“Your son, Tommy.” The Doctor said, looking at Tommy’s dad. “He was the most recent disappearance?”

“Yea.” Tommy’s dad replied, nodding. “Like Maeve said, he was playing in the front garden with Dale Hicks.”

“That’s where we’ll start.” The Doctor said, looking at the twins and Rose.

“I’ll speak with the parents and get more information about where they disappeared and what they were doing.” Siwan said, pulling a notebook and pen out from her purse.

The Doctor and Seren nodded before they split up, heading in different directions. Siwan went to the parents and gently coaxed them into giving her the details she needed while Tommy’s father led the Doctor, Rose and Seren back to his home.

The Doctor began sniffing around the yard like a bloodhound while Rose and Seren watched bemusedly. Tommy’s father went inside the house, but watched from the front window.

“Want a hanky?” Rose asked after several moments of watching the Time Lord sniff.

“Can you smell it?” The Doctor asked as he stopped sniffing and looked at the two women. They both sniffed and Seren nodded to the Doctor’s question. “Rose, what’s it remind you of?”

“Sort of… metal?” Rose replied uncertainly, a frown on her face.

“Like?” Seren prodded.

“Umm, a sort of… burnt fuse plug?” Rose asked uncertainly, sniffing the air delicately.

“Yes. Very good.” Seren said proudly.

Rose grinned, looking proud of herself for having been able to answer the questions and draw her own conclusions.

“Hey, so I got some more information from the parents.” Siwan said, walking up to the house and stopping in front of them. They looked at her and she continued, “The closest disappearance site is the alley behind this house.”

“What happened?” The Doctor asked as Siwan led the way around the house and to the alley behind it.

“Danny Edwards cycled in at one end but never came out from the other.” Siwan replied as they entered the alley and began walking through it.

“Whoa, there it goes again!” The Doctor exclaimed, holding his hand up. “Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand.”

“And there’s that smell again.” Rose said with a grimace, watching the hairs on the back of the Time Lord’s hand stand up.

Siwan sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose at the scent.

“It smells like a burnt fuse plug.” Siwan said as they resumed walking.

“A scent we would be all too familiar with since Aunt Jackie frequently tends to overload the fuse-box, making it blow up.” Seren muttered.

"There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished." The Doctor explained, the small group emerging from the alley and back onto the street. “Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power.”

“Oh, aren’t you a beautiful boy!” Seren cooed from behind the Doctor and Siwan.

"Thanks!" The Doctor said, grinning. "I'm experimenting with back-combing."

“She wasn’t talking about you, Doctor.” Siwan said, smirking.

The Doctor turned around and saw that Seren was crouched in front of a small orange cat, scratching behind its ears. Rose was crouched beside her, petting the cat.

"Oh." He muttered, a bit embarrassed.

“I used to have one just like you.” Rose said, stroking the cat’s fur. The Doctor watched the two, looking like he had swallowed something foul. “What?” She asked with a frown, seeing his expression.

Seren looked up and saw the Time Lord’s expression, realization dawning in her eyes.

“He’s not really a cat person.” Seren said, giggling lightly and getting to her feet.

“Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it." He added with a grimace.

Seren shook her head and moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He automatically shifted his posture and wrapped his arm around her, holding her close.

The cat meowed and got to its feet, walking away from Rose.

“Come here, puss.” Rose said, following the cat. She watched the cat go inside a cardboard box. “What d’you want to go in there for?” She crouched down in front of the box and looked inside, her eyes widening when she found it to be empty. “Doctor! Seren! Siwan! Over here!”

The three hurried over as Rose stood up, grimacing as the scent hit her.

“Whoa! Hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo!” The Doctor exclaimed, waving the smell away while the twins wrinkled their noses in disgust. “Ion residue.” He said, picking up the box. “Blimey! That takes some doing. Just to snatch a living organism out of space-time. This baby is just like, ‘I'm having some of that!’ I'm impressed.”

“So the cat's been transported?” Rose asked with a frown.

“But that would mean it can harness huge reserves of ionic power.” Seren said with a frown, looking around at their surroundings.

“We need to find the source of that power.” The Doctor said, turning on the spot and looking around at their surroundings. “Find the source and you will find… whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you can see.” He lightly whacked Rose on the shoulder and gestured to his eyes while looking at her and Siwan. “Keep them peeled, Lewis, Dr. Jones.”

Rose and Siwan nodded in understanding before turning and heading down the street with the Doctor and Seren heading in the opposite direction. It was eerily quiet, only broken by a dog barking occasionally in the distance.

“Is it just me, or does it seem spookily quiet to you?” Rose asked as they neared the end of the street.

Before Siwan could reply, they heard a banging sound originating from somewhere nearby. Exchanging looks, they followed the sound to a garage as the banging sound was followed by a clattering, like several items falling to the ground.

“Is that you, puss-cat?” Rose asked as they walked up to the garage the noise seemed to be coming from. “Are you trapped?”

Siwan frowned and put her ear to the garage door, hearing a metal clattering from within. There was a loud crash from inside making Rose and Siwan jump back in alarm.

“Not going to open it.” Rose muttered under her breath, stepping back while Siwan examine the door. “Not going to open it, not going to open it…” Siwan tried the door handle and found it unlocked. “No, no, no, no, Siwan.” Rose said, raising her voice so Siwan could hear her clearly. “We’re  _ not  _ going to open it.”

Siwan looked at Rose with a raised eyebrow before turning back to the door and opening it, slowly and carefully. As soon as the door was fully opened, something that resembled a mass of violent tangle of wires shot out at her.

Before it could hit her, Siwan dodged. Unfortunately, Rose was standing behind the Welshwoman and the mass of wires tackled the blonde to the ground. Rose screamed, covering her face with her hands. Siwan grabbed one of Rose’s hands and pulled her out from under the violent tangle, pushing her to the side once she was free. Rose stumbled back several feet, gasping as the mass attacked Siwan who dodged it, again.

Siwan kept dodging the mass each time it came at her, the Welshwoman successfully managing to keep it from Rose. The blonde looked around frantically before seeing the Doctor and Seren several feet away.

“Doctor! Seren!” Rose yelled loudly, waving her arms. “Help!”

The Doctor and Seren looked over at the shouting blonde and saw Siwan dodging the tangle of wires. They quickly ran over, the Doctor pulling out his screwdriver while Seren pulled out her Bo Staffs.

“Stay still!” The Doctor yelled, running up the driveway.

He aimed his screwdriver at the tangle of wires while Seren went to Rose. The mass froze just before reaching Siwan and hovered in front of her face for a second before it convulsed. It slowly began to shrink until it became a small ball, then dropped from the air. Siwan automatically stuck her hand out and caught it.

“You okay?” Seren asked Siwan, her and Rose running up to her and hugging her tightly.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Siwan said as they pulled apart.

“Okey-dokey?” The Doctor asked, running up to Siwan and hugging her tightly.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Siwan repeated.

“No probs.” He replied as they pulled apart and all four of them looked at the now compact tangle of wires in Siwan’s hand. “I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell it is.” He poked the tangle with his screwdriver. “‘Cos I haven't got the foggiest.”

“Well, I can tell you just killed it.” Rose said, panting.

“I don’t think it was living.” Siwan countered, poking it with her finger.

“It wasn’t.” The Doctor said in confirmation, taking it from Siwan and holding it up. “It's animated by energy. Same energy that's snatching people. That is so dinky!” He tossed it up and down. “The Go-Anywhere creature. Fits in your pocket, makes friends, impresses the boss, breaks the ice at parties.”

He grinned manically and pocketed it before walking back to the street.

“Well, whatever it is, we need to analyse it.” Siwan said as she, Seren and Rose followed the Doctor. “Hopefully, it can give us a lead.”

“Yup.” The Doctor said with a grin, glancing back at Siwan. “The TARDIS’ll be able to run a scan.”

“Great. And I can get my blazer.” Siwan muttered, rubbing her arms to try and ward off the chill that seemed to permeate the air. “I don’t get why the chill is bothering me. It’s nowhere near as bad as weather in Cardiff.”

“Or Women Wept.” Seren threw in, rubbing her arms. The Doctor, seeing the movement, wrapped his arm around her and drew her close. “Thanks,  _ Cariad _ .” She said, leaning into the embrace.

Reaching the TARDIS a few minutes later and going inside, the Doctor went straight to the console with Rose behind him. Siwan grabbed her black blazer that was hanging over the jump seat and put it on while Seren went to her room to get a jacket for herself.

Seren returned to the console room a few minutes later, wearing a white leather-like blazer* with the zip undone. She saw the Doctor still by the console with Rose and Siwan on either side of him and watching the monitor as it ran the scan.

“Here we go, just in time Seren.” The Doctor called to her as the monitor beeped. Seren hurried over and looked at the monitor with the others, Rose making room so that she could see properly. “Get out of here!” He exclaimed, looking at the reading.

“What is it?” Siwan asked, not completely able to understand the symbols.

“You’re kidding!” Seren exclaimed in shock and surprise.

“What’s it say?” Rose asked, confused.

The Doctor picked up the ball, pulling out a pencil from his pocket and used the eraser to rub some of it out.

“It is!” Seren breathed in amazement. “It’s graphite!”

“The same material as an HB pencil?” Siwan asked incredulously.

“We were attacked by a  _ pencil scribble _ ?!” Rose asked in disbelief, looking at the scribble ball in disbelief.

“Scribble creature.” The Doctor corrected before sniffing the scribble ball. “Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them. But… why make a scribble creature?”

"Maybe it was a mistake.” Rose suggested. “I mean, you scribble over something when you wanna get rid of it.”

“Like a drawing.” Siwan added, her eyes widening in realization. “Like a  _ child’s _ drawing.”

“You said it was in the street.” Rose said in realization, looking at the Doctor.

“Probably.” He replied slowly, he and Seren both confused.

“The girl.” Siwan replied.

“Of course!” The Doctor exclaimed before frowning and looking at the two. “What girl?”

“Something about her gave me an odd feeling.” Siwan said.

“She gave me the creeps.” Rose added.

“Her own mother seems afraid of her.” Siwan said. “That’s what really caught my attention. Why fear your own child?”

“Are you deducting?” The Doctor asked Rose with a grin.

“I think I am.” Rose replied, looking proud of herself.

“Copper’s hunch?” Seren asked jokingly, giggling lightly.

"Permission to follow it up, Sarge?" Rose asked with a laugh.

“Permission granted.” Seren replied.

Seren and Siwan grabbed their purses, their blazers already on, while the Doctor grabbed his coat and shrugged it on. They left the TARDIS and made their way back to the street, Siwan and Rose leading the way.

Reaching the little girl’s house, Rose rang the doorbell. When there was no response, the Doctor rattled the door knocker. A moment later, the door was opened to reveal the little girl’s mother.

“Hello!” The Doctor said with a friendly smile, the three women also giving friendly and reassuring smiles. “I’m the Doctor, this is Seren, Siwan and Rose." He gestured to each of the women who waveed. "Can we see your daughter?”

“No!” The woman replied indignantly. “You can’t.”

“Okay!” The Doctor said unconcernedly. “Bye.”

The four of them turned and began walking away in silence.

“Why?” The woman called to their retreating backs. They turned around to face her. “Why do you want to see Chloe?”

"Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street.” The Doctor replied. “And I just thought… well, _we_ thought,” he gestured to himself and the three women. “That she might like to give us a hand."

“Sorry to bother you.” Seren said with a smile, waving at Chloe’s mother.

"Yeah, sorry.” The Doctor said. “We'll let you get on with things. On your own. Bye again!"

They turned and resumed walking away.

“Wait!” Chloe’s mother called. They turned around again, and this time, the mother looked helpless, vulnerable. “Can you help her?”

“Yes, we can.” The Doctor said, smiling widely.

“Okay. You can see her.” The woman said quietly. They nodded and went back to the house, stepping inside silently. “I’m Trish, by the way.”

Trish showed them to the living room where the TV was on, playing the live coverage of the Countdown to Games and the Torch Bearer’s run.

_ “The Torch Bearer is running up the Mall, which I can tell you is…”   _ The commentator, Huw Edwards, was saying in a voice-over while the screen showed the Torch Bearer.

Rose and Siwan sat next to each other on the sofa while Seren perched on the arm, catching the Doctor’s coat as he flung it to her. She rolled her eyes and folded it over her arm, turning to Trish who stood in the doorway, wringing her hands nervously and with an expression of despair.

“She stays in her room most of the time.” Trish explained about Chloe. “I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone.”

“What about Chloe’s dad?” Rose asked.

"Chloe's dad died a year ago." Trish replied, her shoulders becoming minutely tense.

Seren and the Doctor exchanged looks at the woman’s tone of voice and subtle behavior change while Siwan raised her eyebrow.

“I’m sorry.” Rose said sympathetically, drawing on her own pain of losing her father.

“He wasn’t the kind of man that would be mourned.” Seren stated, looking at Trish with a knowing expression. Her comment earned her shocked looks from Rose and Trish while the Doctor and Siwan had deduced the same thing. “Was he, Trish?”

“No.” Trish replied quietly, shaking her head. “Not if you’d known him.”

“Well! Let’s go and say hi!” The Doctor said brightly, moving from a clearly uncomfortable subject.

"I should check on her first...” Trish said, hesitating. “She might be asleep."

“Why are you afraid of her, Trish?” The Doctor asked quietly, losing his bright smile.

"I want you to know, before you see her, that's she's really a great kid." Trish said, looking at the four guests in her house.

"I'm sure she is." Siwan said with a reassuring smile.

"She's never been in trouble at school.” Trish added. “You should see her report from last year, A’s and B’s.” She smiled, looking proud of her daughter.

“Can I use your loo?” Rose asked, a sheepish expression on her face.

Trish nodded and Rose left the room.

“She's in the choir.” Trish added, turning back to the Doctor, Seren and Siwan. “She sings in an old folks’ home. Any mum would be proud, you know?” Rose quietly made her way up the stairs, hearing what Trish was saying. “I want you to know these things before you see her. Because right now, she's not herself.”

The Doctor nodded in understanding as they heard the sound of small footsteps coming down the stairs – Chloe had come down. He leaned out of the living room doorway and spotted Chloe through the dining room, in the kitchen.

“Alright, there?” He called walking into the kitchen, Seren, Siwan and Trish behind him.

Chloe didn’t respond or react to the Doctor’s words, only getting herself a drink of milk from the fridge before putting the bottle back and closing it.

“I’m the Doctor.” He continued, perching on the edge of the kitchen table. He nodded at Seren and Siwan. “And this is Seren and Siwan.”

“I’m Chloe Webber.” Chloe said, turning around to look at the three guests and her mother.

"How're you doing, Chloe Webber?" He asked with a gentle smile.

"I'm busy. I'm making something.” Chloe replied expressionlessly before looking at Trish, an almost cold look in her eyes. “Aren't I, Mum?"

“And like I said, she’s not been sleeping.” Trish said softly, looking back at the Doctor, Seren and Siwan.

“But you’ve been drawing though.” Seren commented observantly, noticing the colored markings on Chloe’s hands.

“That’s amazing.” The Doctor said with a grin. “I’m rubbish, though. The twins are much better at drawing than I am,” he nodded towards Seren and Siwan who nodded sagely in agreement. “Stick men are about my limit. Can do this, though…” He raised his left hand in the Vulcan ‘live long and prosper’ salute. Chloe looked at him, still expressionless. “Can you do that?”

Behind the Doctor, Trish nodded encouragingly to Chloe.

“They don’t stop moaning.” Chloe began, though her face was still expressionless.

“Chloe?” Trish asked, confused.

"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning." Chloe continued, not acknowledging her mother.

“Who don’t, Chloe?” Seren asked gently while the Doctor lowered his hand and looked at the little girl.

“We can be together.” Chloe continued.

“Sweetheart…” Trish sighed, stepping towards her daughter with her hand outstretched.

“Don’t touch me, Mum!” Chloe threatened the older woman, though her face remained expressionless. Trish stopped in her tracks and her hand fell to her side limply. She turned to the Doctor, Seren and Siwan helplessly. “I’m busy, Doctor, Seren, Siwan.”

Chloe turned and started to leave the kitchen. The three travelers exchanged brief looks before turning back to the mother-daughter pair.

"Oh, come on, Chloe!" The Doctor called after her, disappointed. "Don't be a spoil sport!" He got up and followed her back into the hallway, leaning against the wall while the twins peeked out from the kitchen. "What's the big project? I'm dying to know! What're you making up there?"

“Doctor!” Rose suddenly screamed from upstairs. “Seren! Siwan!”

The Doctor, Seren and Siwan bolted down the hall and up the stairs, Trish and Chloe following right behind them. Spotting an angry, red glow coming from one of the rooms, they ran inside to find Rose staring into the open wardrobe, completely transfixed.

“I’m coming to hurt you…” A deep, masculine voice threatened with a growl.

Rose stepped towards the wardrobe, as if in a trance. The Doctor and Seren darted towards Rose, Seren pulling Rose back while the Doctor slammed the wardrobe doors shut without looking inside.

Rose blinked and turned to the Doctor, Seren and Siwan, her eyes wide.

“Look at it!” Rose breathed.

“No, ta.” The Doctor replied, shaking his head firmly before looking around at the drawings in the room. He pulled out his glasses and slipped them on.

Siwan pulled Rose away from the wardrobe while Seren joined the Doctor, looking at the drawing that covered almost every inch of one wall and he surface of the writing table.

“What the hell was that?” Trish asked, coming into the room and looking at her guests with wide eyes.

“A drawing - face of a man.” Rose replied, breathing heavily.

“What face?” Trish asked worriedly, reaching out to open the wardrobe doors.

Siwan rammed herself against the wardrobe, preventing the worried mother from opening the doors.

“Best not.” Siwan said apologetically.

Trish turned to look at Chloe.

“What have you been drawing?” Trish asked her daughter.

The Doctor, Seren, Rose and Siwan turned to look at the little girl as well.

“I drew him yesterday.” Chloe replied.

"Who?" Trish asked.

"Dad."

"Your dad?" Trish repeated with a gasp, upset, "But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?"

"I dream about him… staring at me." Chloe admitted.

"I thought we were putting him behind us.” Trish said frustratedly. “What's the matter with you?"

"We need to stay together." Chloe insisted.

"Yes, we do." Trish agreed, nodding.

"No," Chloe refuted, glaring at her. "Not you. Us." The Doctor and Seren glanced at her. "We need to stay together. And then it'll be alright."

Trish moved to stand in front of Chloe, reaching out to cup the little girl’s face in her hands. She moved her hands, resting them gently on Chloe’s shoulders. Chloe only flinched away from the loving touch.

"Trish… the drawings. Have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?" Rose asked cautiously.

"Who gave you permission to come into her room?” Trish asked Rose angrily, glaring at her. “Get out of my house."

“Tell us about the drawings, Chloe.” The Doctor said, putting down the drawing he had been examining and turning to face Chloe completely. Seren followed suit and facing the little girl as well.

“I don't want to hear any more of this.” Trish said firmly.

“But that drawing of her dad… I heard a voice.” Rose argued. “He spoke!”

Seren and Siwan nodded in agreement, both of them and the Doctor having heard the voice as well.

"He's dead.” Trish said firmly, looking at Rose. “And these…” She pointed at the drawings over her shoulder with her thumb, “they're kid’s pictures. Now get out!"

"Chloe has a power. And I don't know how, but she used it to take Danny Edwards, Dale Hicks… she's using it to snatch the kids." Rose explained, telling them what she had discovered while they were downstairs.

“Get out!” Trish ordered again, her voice raising slightly.

"Have you seen those drawings move?" Rose asked.

"I haven't seen anything." Trish denied with a light chuckle.

“Yes, you have.” Siwan said quietly, seeing the denial on the older woman’s face. “Out of the corner of your eye.”

“No.” Trish denied again, rounding on the Welshwoman.

“And you dismissed it.” The Doctor continued, making Trish and Chloe turn to look at him and Seren. “Because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain?” He stepped towards her. “You dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever again.”

“She’s a child.” Trish argued, glancing at Chloe who sat down at the edge of the bed.

“And you’re terrified of her.” Seren said softly, stepping towards Trish as well and standing next to the Doctor. "But there's no one to turn to, because who's going to believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye?" She paused for a second before answering her own question, “No one.”

“Except us.” Siwan said gently, making Trish turn and look at her.

“Who are you people?” Trish breathed, looking between Seren, Siwan and the Doctor in complete bewilderment.

“We’re help.” The Doctor replied, absently reaching out and interlocking his fingers with Seren’s, squeezing her hand gently.

~*~*~*~

In the kitchen, the Doctor, no longer wearing his glasses, swept a jar of marmalade off the counter as he leaned against it. He unscrewed the jar lid and absently dipped two fingers in before sticking them into his mouth.

“Ahem.” Siwan said pointedly, clearing her throat.

The Doctor looked at her questioningly, his fingers in his mouth, and she shook her head, looking pointedly at the jar in his hand. Seren rolled her eyes and plucked the jar out of his hands, screwing the lid back on and putting it back on the countertop. The Doctor glanced over at Trish who was eyeing him curiously and he grinned back sheepishly.

“Those pictures, they’re alive.” Rose said, bringing them onto the topic at hand. “She’s drawing them, and somehow they end up in her pictures.”

“That’s the ionic power.” Seren said, nodding.

“What, so she’s harnessing it?” Siwan asked with a frown.

“To steal the kids and place them in some kind of holding pen made up of ionic power.” The Doctor replied, nodding.

"And what about the dad from Hell in her wardrobe?" Rose asked incredulously.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Trish asked, frustrated. "He's dead!"

“Well, he's got a very loud voice for a dead bloke.” Rose muttered sarcastically.

“If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things.” The Doctor speculated out loud. “Uh!” He shivered visibly at the thought.

“Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares.” Seren explained to Trish. “That dad is very real, especially to her. That's the dad she's drawn into her pictures.”

“And he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world.” The Doctor sighed, glancing up at the kitchen ceiling and absently wrapping an arm around Seren, pulling her close to him.

“She always got the worst of it when he was alive.” Trish admitted sadly.

“How can a 12-year-old girl be doing any of this?” Rose asked, looking at Seren, the Doctor and Siwan in confusion.

She accepted that all sorts of things were possible, she’s seen enough to know and understand that. She just couldn’t understand how a 12-year-old, a  _ child _ , could kidnap people and hold them against their will.

“Let’s find out.” The Doctor replied, pushing away from the counter and removing his arm from Seren’s shoulders and taking her hand instead.

He strode out of the room with Seren beside him. Rose, Siwan and Trish followed them back upstairs and into Chloe’s room.

Inside, they found Chloe sitting cross-legged on her bed, watching as each adult entered her room and stood in front of her. Seeing the Doctor, she held up her right hand in the Vulcan salute.

“Nice one.” The Doctor commented with a small grin.

Chloe lowered her hand, her gaze never wavering from the Time Lord. He knelt in front of her and put his hands on either side of her face, his fingers at her temples. Her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness, Seren gently catching her before she could fall.

“There we go.” She said softly, carefully laying Chloe on her back on the bed before straightening up. She moved back to stand next to the Doctor.

“I can’t let them do this.” Trish protested, making a move towards the bed.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Siwan said, gently holding Trish back with a firm hand on the shoulder. “Trust them.”

“Now we can talk.” The Doctor said, looking at Chloe.

“I want Chloe.” Chloe said in a harsh, raspy whisper. “Wake her up. I want Chloe.”

It wasn’t Chloe Webber speaking, but the entity that had control of her.

“Who are you?” Seren asked with a frown.

“I want Chloe Webber.” Chloe said instead of replying to the question, balling her hand into a fist and hitting the bedspread insistently.

“What've you done to my little girl?” Trish asked, her expression saying she was inches away from breaking down completely.

“Doctor, Seren, what is it?” Siwan asked, Rose nodding in agreement to the question beside her.

The Doctor and Seren didn’t reply. Instead, the Doctor walked slowly around the bed until he was standing on Chloe’s right side while Seren did the same and stopped at the left. Neither looked away from the unconscious child in the middle of the bed.

“I'm speaking to you,” The Doctor began, his voice stern and his gaze never wavering from the child. “The entity that is using this human child.”

“We request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation.” Seren added, her voice just as stern as the Doctor’s.

“I don’t care about shadows or parleys!” Chloe replied.

“So, what do you care about?” The Doctor asked with a frown, his tone becoming softer.

“I want my friends!” Chloe said.

“You’re lonely, I know.” The Doctor said sympathetically, kneeling down beside her on the bed. “Identify yourself.”

“I am one of many.” Chloe said. “I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair, and I hate it.”

“Name yourself!” Seren said firmly, though her expression conveyed her sympathy for the child and the entity.

“Isolus.” Chloe replied.

“You’re Isolus. Of course.” The Doctor said, his and Seren’s eyes widening in understanding.

“Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family.” Chloe continued, drawing on the paper beside her with a red pencil.

“What’s that?” Trish asked, looking at the drawing that was beginning to form the shape of a flower.

“The Isolus Mother, drifting in deep space.” Seren replied, looking up at Trish. “You see, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores -  _ her _ children.”

“The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions,” The Doctor continued, rising to his feet and looking at Trish, Siwan and Rose. His voice was quiet and filled with sympathy for the Isolus child. “When they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their  _ need   _ for each other, is what sustains them. They need to be together. They cannot be alone.”

“Our journey is long.” Chloe continued, still drawing the Isolus Mother.

“The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod.” Seren explained, her voice just as quiet as the Doctor’s and filled with the same sympathy. “They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up.”

“Thousands of years just floating through space.” Rose said softly, looking at Chloe with sorrow-filled eyes. “Poor things.”

“How do they not go mad with boredom?” Siwan asked, remembering the Doctor’s own inability to stay still for long periods of time without losing his mind, and  _ he _ was an adult.

“We play.” Chloe replied before Seren or the Doctor could.

“You play?” Rose repeated in confusion.

“Yes, while they travel, they play games.” Seren said, nodding. “They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play.”

“In-flight entertainment.” Rose commented.

“Helps keep them happy.” The Doctor said, moving back to the bed and sitting beside Chloe’s head, near Seren. “While they're happy, they can feed off each other’s love. Without it, they're lost.”

“Why did you come to Earth?” Seren asked, looking down at Chloe.

“We were too close.” Chloe replied, taking another sheet of paper and drawing something new on it.

“That’s a solar flare from your sun.” The Doctor said softly, looking at the new drawing - a sun amidst a series of solar flares.

“That would have made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods!” Siwan exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock and horror.

“Only I fell to Earth.” Chloe said. “My brothers and sisters are left up there, and I cannot reach them. So alone!”

“Your pod crashed?” The Doctor asked softly. “Where is it?”

“My pod was drawn to heat, and I was drawn to Chloe Webber.” Chloe said. “She was like me - alone. She needed me, and I her.”

“You empathized with her.” Seren said softly in understanding, unconsciously reaching out to take the Doctor’s hand and interlock their fingers. “You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you.”

“I want my family. It's not fair!” Chloe cried.

“We understand, you want to make a family.” The Doctor said gently. “But you can't stay in this child. It's wrong. You can't steal any more friends for yourself.”

“I am alone.” Chloe said just a crash came from the wardrobe.

“I’m coming to hurt you.” The deep, masculine voice growled from inside the wardrobe. The door began to shake, a red glow coming from beneath the gaps. “I’m coming.”

At the sound of the voice, Chloe began shaking as if trapped in a nightmare.

“Trish!” Seren called, her and the Doctor trying to calm Chloe down but not having much luck. “How do you calm her?”

“What?!” Trish asked, whirling around to look at the Doctor and Seren in confusion, fright written across her face.

“When she has nightmares, what do you do?” The Doctor asked as Chloe’s began shaking more and more vigorously.

“I-I…” Trish stammered, completely out of her depths.

“What do you  _ do _ ?” The Doctor repeated, more firmly.

“I sing to her.” Trish said.

“Start singing!” Siwan exclaimed as the Doctor and Seren moved away from the bed.

“Chloe, I'm coming.” The deep voice growled as Trish moved to the bed and knelt beside Chloe.

The Doctor wrapped his arm around Seren while Siwan and Rose gripped each other’s hands tightly.

“Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.” Trish began in a shaky yet melodic voice. She gently stroked Chloe’s forehead in soothing motions, patting her chest at the same time. “Merry, merry king of the bush is he.”

“Chloe. Chloe. Chloe. Chloe.” The deep voice growled.

“Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be. Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be.” Trish continued, swallowing back her fear for the sake of her child.

Slowly, the voice faded away and the wardrobe stopped shaking as Chloe fell asleep. Chloe curled on her side, letting her dreams take her away to a world far away, filled with only happiness and joy.

“It came to her because she was lonely.” Trish said, sobbing. “Chloe, I'm sorry.”

She wrapped her arms around her sleeping child and gave into her tears. She sobbed against Chloe’s shoulder, holding her close.

Several minutes later, Trish stopped crying and looked at the Doctor and Seren with a steely determination in her eyes. She was going to do whatever it took to protect her daughter.

“How are you going to save my daughter?” Trish asked, getting to her feet.

“First of all, you need to take away all the coloured pencils Chloe has.” Seren began.

“You need to keep her from drawing. That’s how she’s taking the kids with the ionic power.” The Doctor continued.

“We’ll take care of finding the pod and safely removing the Isolus child from Chloe.” Seren finished as the Doctor nodded.

Trish nodded in understanding and began combing the room for Chloe’s coloured pencils, helped by the four time travellers. Once they had combed through Chloe’s room, they went through each of the other rooms in the house, one after another.

“Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper, when he'd had a drink.” Trish explained as she combed through the living room with Rose and Siwan’s help. The Doctor and Seren stayed in the doorway, so as not to crowd the room. “The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free. I thought it was over.”

“Did you talk to her about it?” Siwan asked, knowing that such trauma and change would have a profound effect on anyone, particularly a child.

“I didn’t want to.” Trish admitted softly, accepting the bunch of pencils Rose handed her.

“That’s probably  _ why _ Chloe feels so alone.” Siwan said gently, moving to perch on the arm of the sofa. “She experiences all these terrible dreams that haunt her nights, dreams about her father, but she feels that she can’t talk to you about them.”

“Her and the Isolus.” The Doctor said with a sigh, his thoughts far away. “Two lonely kids who needed each other.”

Seren took his hand and squeezed it gently. The Doctor looked at her and smile, removing his hand from her grip to wrap the arm around her, holding her close.

“And it won’t stop, will it, Doctor? Seren?” Rose asked, sitting down on the sofa and looking at the Doctor and Seren. “It’ll just keep pulling kids in.”

“It's desperate to be loved.” Seren replied, resting her head on the Doctor’s chest. “It's used to a pretty big family.”

“How big is ‘pretty big’?” Siwan asked, almost nervous to hear the answer.

“Say around 4 billion?” The Doctor estimated.

“Give or take a million or two.” Seren added.

Rose and Siwan stared at them, dumbstruck.

“You have got to be kidding.” Siwan said, staring at them incredulously.

The Doctor and Seren shook their heads in mirrored movements, the Doctor shrugging sheepishly at the same time.

“And here I thought  _ our _ family was big.” Rose muttered dryly, referring to the patchwork family that they had built comprising of humans, Immortals and aliens alike.

“Right, let’s go.” Seren said, pulling away from the Doctor and grabbing her purse, blazer as well as the Doctor’s coat.

Siwan and Rose nodded in agreement and got to their feet. Siwan put her blazer back on and grabbed her purse as well.

They went to the door, Seren handing the Doctor his coat before slipping her blazer on.

“Thank you.” Trish said gratefully, looking at them with a renewed hope in her eyes. “For helping my daughter.”

The Doctor smiled at her gently, truly understanding her pain as a parent. Trish held the door open for them and they walked out, the Doctor shrugging on his coat as he walked.

“We need that pod.” Seren sighed, reaching out and fixing the Doctor’s coat collar so it wasn’t creasing against his neck.

“It crashed, won’t it be destroyed?” Rose asked, glancing back at the Doctor and Seren.

“Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can which is why it’s been so cold that past few days.” Seren pointed out, drawing her blazer in tighter around her body to try and ward of the chill. “Hopefully that should keep it in a fit state to launch.”

“It must be close.” The Doctor added, wrapping his arm around Seren and holding her close, sharing his own body warmth with her. “It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus.”

“And send it back to its brothers and sisters.” Seren finished.

“How would the TARDIS be able to trace the signature?” Siwan asked as they walked briskly down the street and to the carpark the TARDIS had been parked in.

“We can scan for the same trace that we picked up from the scribble creature.” The Doctor replied, rummaging through his pockets for the key. “We'd need to widen the field a bit.”

Seren rolled her eyes and pulled out her own key, hanging from a pretty purple glass unicorn keychain, from her purse as they reached the TARDIS. She opened the door and headed inside with the others following behind her. The Doctor shrugged off his coat and tossed it over a Y-beam pillar before proceeding to put together a device.

Meanwhile, Seren and Siwan stood at the monitor and began running a scan for the pod, using a map of the neighbourhood.

The three of them worked in silence, broken only when one needed to confirm something with the other or Rose popped a bubble with her gum.

“You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you.” Rose said, looking at the Doctor from where she was sitting on the jump seat, her hands filled with odds and ends that the Doctor was using.  “How?”

“I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own.” The Doctor replied, glancing at her before calling to out to Seren, “Seren, I need the-”

“Here.” Seren said before he could finish the sentence, turning away from the monitor and taking the small steino-magnetic instrument from Rose. She carefully slotted it into a hole at the top of the device he was building.

“Sounds like you’re on its side.” Rose commented.

“I sympathize, that’s all.” The Doctor said, looking down at the device.

“The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people.” Rose reminded him.

“It’s a child, Rose!” Seren said defensively, looking at the blonde. The Doctor blew gently on the device. “That’s why it went to Chloe. They’re two lonely, mixed up kids.”

“Feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way.” Rose muttered.

“It's scared.” The Doctor said, looking at Rose for a moment before turning back to the device. “Come on, you were a kid once. Seren, binary dot.”

“Yes, and I know what kids can be like.” Rose said while Seren carefully picked up the binary dot and put it into place on the device. “Right little… terrors. Even Mica and David have their moments of being complete monsters.”

“Gum.” The Doctor said, holding his hand out to Rose.

“We’ve got cousins to go with the niece and nephew.” Rose said, spitting her gum out into the Doctor’s hand. “Kids can’t have it all their own way.” The Doctor used the gum as an adhesive for the device, fixing a component into place. “That’s part of being a family.”

“What about trying to understand them?” The Doctor asked Rose.

“Easy for you to say.” Rose replied. “You don't have kids aside from Siwan, and she’s an adult. Plus, you treat her more like your girlfriend’s sister and your friend than as your daughter.”

“We  _ did _ have other children.” Seren said softly.

She knew this from the photographs she had seen and the corresponding stories that Doctor had told her than from her own memories.

She didn’t remember her past life just yet, though bits and pieces regarding information and technical know-how did slip through to the forefront of her memory. It was how she was able to keep up with the Doctor and his rapid technobabble, along with be able to read the books Idris would give her that were simply too advanced for a human to comprehend. At least without a dozen separate dictionaries to define almost every third word.

“Seriously?” Rose asked in surprise, looking between Seren and the Doctor.

“Yeah.” The Doctor replied offhandedly, nodding and not looking away from the device in his hands. “We were grandparents as well.”

Rose’s jaw dropped in shock, unable to picture the young-looking man in front of her as a grandparent, or her god sister for that matter. She could see how they were parents, the way they were when with Mica and David proof enough, but grandparent? That was a bit out there, even for them.

“I think we’re there!” The Doctor said, holding up the glass globe that contained the device. “Fear, loneliness. They're the big ones, Rose.” He got to his feet and walked towards the console, switching several levers as he spoke.

“Adam’s told me how some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by fear and loneliness.” Siwan added. “Mostly the fear of  _ being _ alone.”

“We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy.” Seren said, moving around Rose to look at the monitor. “There are plenty of things needed to travel across the universe - warp drive, wormhole refractors.”

Seren moved back as the Doctor stepped towards her, flipping a lever that was beside the monitor. She pointed at the screen to draw his attention to it.

“You know the thing you need most of all?” The Doctor asked, not looking away from the levers he was fiddling with. “You need a hand to hold.”

He looked up and saw Seren’s hand outstretched. He grinned and took it, the movement sending the three women into giggles.

“ _ Cariad _ , I was pointing.” Seren said through her giggles. She used her other hand to point at the monitor. “The scan is complete.”

He grinned at Seren and looked at the monitor, not letting go of her hand. The screen was showing a flashing white light on the map of the neighbourhood, the TARDIS registering an energy source.

“It’s the pod!” The Doctor exclaimed brightly. “It  _ is _ in the street.” He looked at Seren and grinned again. “Everything’s coming up, Doctor.”

Seren shook her head and laughed, letting go of his hand. She grabbed her purse while the Doctor grabbed his coat.

“So, what does the pod look like?” Siwan asked curiously as she stepped out of the TARDIS beside Rose.

“It’s about two inches across.” The Doctor replied, following them out of the TARDIS with Seren, shrugging his coat on at the same time. Seren closed the TARDIS door behind them and locked it. “Dull grey, like a gull's egg. Very light.”

The Doctor and Seren walked together behind Rose and Siwan, arms linked.

“If these pods  travel from sun to sun, using heat, that would mean it's not all about their shared love and happiness.” Siwan said, drawing her conclusions based on what they had learned about the Isolus.

“Doesn't the pod just need heat?” Rose asked.

Suddenly, there was a crash behind them and Siwan gasped quietly, her hand flying to her chest. Rose, not hearing the gasp, and Siwan spun around to see that the device the Doctor had been carrying had shattered on the ground. They looked around to see that the Doctor, Seren and the TARDIS were gone.

“Doctor?! Seren?!” Rose yelled, looking around the carpark.

“Rose, they’re gone.” Siwan said quietly, her hand on her chest and her eyes filled with worry. Rose looked at her in alarm, shaking her head in denial. “They’re not dead, that I know for certain. But the connection to them is dim, like they’re in a place that can’t be reached.”

“How could this have happened?” Rose asked frantically, her own heart racing.

“I don’t-” Siwan started to say before cutting herself off, a thoughtful frown on her face for a moment before realization dawned. “Chloe!” 

“I’m gonna kill that little terror.” Rose growled, turning and running out of the carpark.

“Somehow, I don’t doubt that.” Siwan muttered before following behind her.

She caught up with the blonde seconds later and they ran through the street, not pausing until they reached Trish’s house. Siwan knocked frantically on the door, not stopping until Trish opened the door. Ignoring the woman, Siwan barged passed her and bounded up the stairs with Rose following behind.

“It’s okay!” Trish called to their backs, closing the door before following behind them. “I’ve taken the pencils off her!”

Siwan and Rose both ignored Trish and headed straight for Chloe’s room, bursting in to find Chloe sitting at her writing desk. Rose strode across the room to the desk and swiped the paper away from the little girl. She looked at it and bit back a gasp.

“Rose, what is it?” Siwan asked, striding across the room and stopping beside the taller girl. “Oh,  _ Duw _ .” She breathed, looking at the drawing in Rose’s hands.

It was a picture of the TARDIS with the Doctor and Seren beside it, hand-in-hand.

"Leave me alone!" The Isolus cried through Chloe, looking at Rose and Siwan. "I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!"

“Bring them back, now.” Rose demanded, looking at Chloe.

“No.” The Isolus shouted defiantly, glaring at Rose.

Rose turned away from Chloe, bringing one hand up to rub her forehead. Fury and despair warred within her and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself. Behind her, Siwan was staring at the drawing with wide eyes, almost in a trance.

Siwan could see Seren and the Doctor in the drawing, she  _ knew _ they were alive, but the dimness of her bond frightened her. If anything happened to either of them, she wouldn’t know because the bond was so dim.

She was startled out of her trance when Rose suddenly whirled around and grabbed Chloe by the shoulders.

“Don't you realise what you've done?” Rose asked through gritted teeth, bending so she was eye-level with Chloe. “They were the only two people who could help you. Now bring them back!” She ended with a shout.

“Leave me alone!” The Isolus shouted back. “I love Chloe Webber!”

Siwan looked between Chloe and Rose, the former adamant and the latter barely holding onto her anger.

“I understand, Chloe. I truly do.” Siwan said softly, causing Rose to look at her in shock. Siwan just stepped towards Chloe, handing the drawing to Rose before kneeling in front of the little girl. “You love Chloe.” The Isolus nodded. “You were lonely after being suddenly separated from your family and you found a companion in Chloe who was just as lonely. I know you don’t want to lose Chloe after you already feel that you lost your family.” Again, the Isolus nodded silently. “This pain, this heart-wrenching agony, of losing those you love; would you wish it upon anyone?” The Isolus hesitated for a second before shaking her head, her eyes never wavering from Siwan’s large, expressive sapphire blue orbs. “Yet, that is what you have wished upon me.” Siwan said tearfully. “And Rose and all the other parents whose children you have taken.”

The Isolus blinked, understanding drawing on her face as she looked down at the drawing on her desk. Her emotions warred within her, Siwan’s words echoing in her ears. She was torn between the desire to not cause any more pain to the humans around her and the need to be with her family.

“Rose, stay here.” Siwan said firmly, rising to her feet and looking at the blonde. “I’m going to go find that pod.”

“But I can help you look for it.” Rose protested.

“I know you can,  _ Cariad _ , but I need you to keep an eye on Chloe with Trish.” Siwan said to Rose before turning to Trish. “Do not let Chloe out of your sight.”

Trish looked at the younger woman, so tiny yet projecting an aura of power, and nodded in understanding. She couldn’t find her voice, the power that swirled in the large sapphire blue eyes had rendered her completely speechless. A power that was ancient and timeless at the same time.

Siwan turned back to Rose, looking up at the blonde girl.

“Be careful.” Rose pleaded, taking Siwan’s tiny hand and squeezing it tightly.

“I promise.” Siwan replied, reaching up and kissing Rose’s cheek. She let go of Rose’s hand and looked at the drawing on the table, picking it up. “Seren, Doctor, I promise I  _ will _ find a way to bring you back.” She said softly.

With a final look at Rose, Siwan turned and strode out of the room. Behind her, Huw Edwards’ update on the Torch Bearer played on the laptop.

_ “The Torch Bearer is getting even closer to the Olympic Stadium, heading down the Strand before turning east along the Embankment.” _

She walked out of the house, closing the door behind her.

“Heat.” Siwan said, looking around the near-barren street. “The Isolus travel on heat. What was giving off a lot of heat six days ago?”

“Look at this finish. Smooth as a baby's bottom.” Kel said cheerfully, kneeling on the road and looking at a newly patched square of tarmac. Siwan quickly ran towards him. “Not a bump or a lump.”

“Kel,” Siwan said, crouching next to the roadworker. “Was there anything giving off a lot off heat in the past six days?”

“I mean, you can eat your dinner off this.” Kel continued, ignoring Siwan’s question. “Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship as I did this one.”

“Well, when you’ve figured it out, you can put it in a big book of Tarmacking.” Siwan said reassuringly, giving him a tight smile. “But before that, think back to six days ago.”

“Six days.” Kel repeated, a thoughtful expression on his face. “When I was laying this the first time round.” He gestured to the tarmac patch they were crouched beside.

“Are you saying that you’ve repeatedly been filling this pothole for the past six days?” Siwan asked, her mind racing. She looked at the pothole, thinking about what little she knew about the Isolus. “Hot, fresh tar.” She said softly.

“Blended to a secret council recipe.” Kel said with a smile. Siwan ignored him and shot to her feet, running to the council van. “Ah, ah! I don't keep it in the van!” She ignored him again and wrenched the door open. “Hey, that's a council van!” Kel got to his feet and strode towards the van as Siwan climbed into the back and picked up an axe.  “Out!” She laughed with glee, holding the axe up and jumping out of the van. “Whoa, wait, wait, wait. You just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back.No, don't, wait. Put the axe back in the van. No, wait, that's my van. Give me the axe." Grinning widely, she ran back to the pothole and swung the axe behind her, preparing to bring it down on the ground in front of her, much to Kel's horror. "No! Wait! No!” But it was too late, the axe swung through the air and smashed through the center of the tarmacked pothole. “No! You... stop!" He stared in wide-eyed disbelief as she hacked at the road repeatedly. "You just took a council axe from a council van and now you're digging up a council road!” Kel rambled frantically. “I'm reporting you to the council!”

Siwan stopped digging when she reached the bottom of the pothole and tossed the axe to the side. She dropped to her knees and hurriedly dug through the tarmac with her fingers, trying to find the pod. Her heart raced, and she pleaded silently to all the Gods she believed in, praying that her hunch was right.

Feeling something smooth against the rough edges of the broken tarmac, she picked up the object and found that it was the Isolus pod.

“Thank the Gods.” She breathed with a sigh of relief. She looked at Kel, a bright smile forming on her face. “It went for the hottest thing in the street – you tar!”

“What is it?” Kel asked, half curious and half confused.

“It’s a spaceship.” Siwan replied with a grin, looking down at the small pod in her cupped hands. She looked up at Kel, adding, “Not a council spaceship, I’m afraid.”

She grinned at him, biting back the giggle at his dumbstruck expression, and ran back to Trish’s house.

“I’ve found it!” She called joyfully, entering the house and letting the door swing shut behind her. She walked into the living room, Trish and Rose walking in from the kitchen when they heard the Welshwoman’s voice. “Though I’m not entirely sure how the Isolus will make use of it…” She trailed off when she saw Trish and Rose. “I told you two not to leave Chloe alone!”

Rose winced at the scolding, shooting the older woman an apologetic look. Trish opened her mouth to reply, looking utterly taken aback at being reprimanded by the younger woman, when the sound of Huw Edwards’ voice on the TV caught their attention.

_ “My God!” _   He said in shock.  _ “Er, what's going on here?” _

Trish, Rose and Siwan looked to the TV and saw that the entire crowd had vanished. The spectators and the athletes were all gone. Behind them, Kel entered the house, unnoticed by the three women.

“I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there,” Kel ranted, looking peeved as he walked into the living room. “You don't go digging up-”

“Shut up and look!” Rose said, pointing at the TV without looking away from it _. _

_ “The crowd has vanished!”   _ Huw Edwards’ exclaimed. _ “Er, they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone.” _  The camera showed different areas of the stadium, all empty.  _ “Right in front of my eyes. It's impossible. Bob, can we join you in the box?” _   The camera went to the Stadium’s Commentator Box, but it was empty as well.  _ “Bob?! Not you too, Bob?” _

“The stadium won’t be enough, will it, Siwan?” Rose asked quietly, looking at the older woman.

“No. It won’t be nearly enough.” Siwan replied gravely, shaking her head and gripping the pod tightly in her hands. “The Isolus has 4 billion brothers and sisters.”

As if to prove Siwan’s words, Huw Edwards continued his broadcast.

_“Over 80 000 spectators and 13 000 athletes._ _They're gone. All of those people. It's a terrible, terrible turn of events. So many lives have not been lost since the Battle of Torchwood.”_

Siwan turned and ran out of the living room, going up stairs with Rose and Trish behind her.

“Chloe?” Siwan called, stopping at Chloe’s closed door. She tried to open it, but found it was locked from the inside. “Chloe, it’s Siwan! Open the door!” She began banging on the closed door. “We found your ship, we can send you home!”

“Chloe!” Trish cried tearfully, banging on the door as well.

“Chloe, open up!” Rose yelled, adding her own banging to the door.

“Right, both of you, stand back.” Siwan said, moving back a few steps and motioning for the two women to do so as well.

Rose and Trish moved back and watched as Siwan delivered a powerful kick to the door, just above the lock. The tiny Welshwoman kicked the door several more times, finally breaking through the wood enough to slip her hand through. She felt around by the lock, moving the chair that was barricading the door and unlocked it.

“Chloe!” Siwan yelled, running into the room with Rose and Trish.

The three of them stopped short at the deep, menacing growl that came from the wardrobe.

“I'm coming to hurt you. I'm coming.”

Siwan looked at Chloe and saw that she was standing in front of the wall beside the wardrobe, drawing a large picture filled with blues and greens – Earth.

“We’ve got to stop her.” Siwan said, taking a step towards Chloe.

The wardrobe rattled, and Rose grabbed Siwan’s arm fearfully while also stopping her from taking another step towards Chloe.

“If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out.” The Isolus said through Chloe warningly, looking at Siwan. “We will let him out together! I cannot be alone! It's not fair!” She turned back to her drawing.

“Look, Chloe, I have your pod. You can rejoin your brothers and sisters.” Siwan said, holding out her hand, curled into a fist around the tiny pod.

Kel ran into the room and stopped short behind Trish, looking towards the rattling wardrobe fearfully.

“The pod is dead.” Chloe said, barely glancing at the closed fist.

“It only needs heat.” Rose pointed out.

“It needs  _ more _ than just heat.” Siwan said in realization, thinking back to what the Doctor and Seren had said about the Isolus.

“What else does it need?” Rose asked, confused and frightened.

“I'm not being funny or nothing…” Kel said, looking at the pictures on the wall. “But that picture just moved.” Rose and Siwan turned to look at the wall of pictures. “And that one!” Kel pointed to the picture that was on the bed, the one of the Doctor, Seren and the TARDIS.

Siwan looked at the picture of her sister and saw that Seren and the Doctor were both pointing to a drawing of the Olympic Torch. The Torch that hadn’t been there ten minutes earlier.

“The Torch.” Siwan breathed in realization and understanding. She looked from the pod in her hand to the laptop that was playing the live coverage of the Torch Bearer’s run.

“But you said it needs more than just heat.” Rose reminded Siwan, taking the drawing and looking at it.

_ “The Torch is still on its way. I suppose it's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon. It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. And it's a beacon of love.” _

“Love.” Rose breathed in realization, looking at the laptop.

“Love and friendship is what sustains them through their endless journey.” Siwan said, hope blooming in her heart. “It makes sense that the pod would need love and friendship to relaunch.”

_ “So let's have a look from the helicopter.” _   The camera view changed from a frontal image to a bird’s eye-view.  _ “There we go, the Torch Bearer running.” _

“And what is one of the most strongest forms of love and friendship? An entire race uniting for one, common goal.” Siwan continued before closing her fist over the pod and looking at Rose and Trish. “Rose, stay here with Trish and Chloe. I know how to charge up the pod!”

Siwan didn’t wait for a reply as she darted out of the room, Chloe still drawing the planet.

_ “Past Dame Kelly Holmes Close.” _

Siwan ran down the stairs and out of the house. She ran down the street and pushed her way through the crowd that had gathered at the end of the block. All the spectators were cheering as the Torch Bearer turned onto the street. She reached the front of the crowd and tried to push her way onto the road.

“Sorry, love, you’ll have to watch from here.” The policeman on duty said, holding Siwan back with a firm hand on her shoulder.

Siwan opened her mouth to argue but decided against it, realizing that the officer wouldn’t understand. She nodded and took a step back, mixing with the front line of the crowd. The officer turned back to face the road as the Torch Bearer ran past Siwan.

The pod began chittering rapidly and Siwan looked down, feeling it grow warm in her cupped hands.

“You felt that, didn’t you?” Siwan asked, holding the pod up to her mouth. “That’s your way back to your family.” She pushed her way to the back of the crowd and held the pod up to her mouth again. “Feel the love, sweet child.”

Siwan threw the pod into the air, launching it towards the Torch. It flew into the flame, making it blaze brightly for a second and the Torch Bearer staggered briefly before regaining his feet and carrying on.

“Yes!” Siwan cheered ecstatically, jumping in the air. 

All around her, the crowd continued to cheer as the Torch Bearer jogged out of sight. Siwan turned and pushed her way back through the crowd, away from the road.

“Nice one! You did it!” Kel cheered when he saw Siwan emerge from the crowd of cheering spectators, running up to her and hugging her happily. He pulled away from her and looked in the direction the Torch Bearer ran. “What was it you did?”

“I sent a little, lonely kid back home.” Siwan replied, grinning brightly and pulling Kel back into another hug.

Kel lifted her up and spun her around, both laughing delightedly. He let her go and they separated from each other, going in different directions and watching as the missing children reappeared and ran to their parents.

Siwan’s connection to Seren and the Doctor brightened once more, blazing brightly the way it was supposed to.

“Doctor, Seren, where are you?” Siwan asked quietly, not seeing either of them.

Despite her worry over not seeing her sister or the Doctor, Siwan couldn’t help but smile as she watched the parents hold tight to their returned children. She could feel the warmth returning to the air, the love and joy and  _ relief _ permeating the surrounding area.

“I don't know who you are,” Maeve said, walking up to Siwan and drawing her attention. “Or what you did, but thank you, darling!” Maeve pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheeks before pulling back. “And thank your twin sister and that man of hers for me too.”

MAeve smiled brightly and walked away, watching as the children were reunited with their families and feeling as though life had returned to Dame Kelly Holmes Close.

“Where are they?” Siwan asked, her smile fading as she looked around again and seeing the returned children. “All the drawings came to life, they should be here.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said, horror filling her. “Oh no,  _ all _ the drawings came to life!”

She looked up at Chloe’s bedroom window and saw a red glow, the same red glow that had been coming from the wardrobe.

“Rose! Chloe!” She yelled, run towards Trish’s house. “Trish!” She reached the house and banged on the closed door, seeing Rose through the stained glass window. “Rose! Get out!”

“I can’t!” Rose yelled back, tugging on the doorknob. “The door’s stuck!”

“All the drawings are alive, that means Chloe’s father as well! Get out!” Siwan yelled, banging on the door and trying to open it from the outside.

“Where’s Seren?” Rose asked loudly. “And the Doctor?”

“They not inside?” Siwan asked, just as loudly.

“No!” Trish yelled, holding Chloe close to her.

“Mummy.” Chloe whimpered frightfully, clinging to her mother tightly.

There was a loud crash from upstairs and Chloe look up towards it with fear. The eerie red glow was getting brighter, closer to the stairs.

“Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you.” Chloe’s father growled.

“Please, Dad. No more.” Chloe whimpered fearfully.

“It’s not real!” Siwan yelled to Chloe, still tugging at the door and trying to open it. “It’s just remnant energy left by the Isolus! You can get rid of it, Chloe!”

“Help us!” Trish pleaded, banging on the door.

“It’s because you’re so scared that he’s real!” Rose exclaimed in realization. She turned to Chloe, holding the terrified little girl and bending down to her level. “But you can get shot of him, Chloe. You are stronger than he is, than he ever was!”

“I’m scared.” Chloe whimpered, gripping Rose’s arm with one hand and her mother with the other.

“I know you’re scared, Chloe!” Siwan shouted through the door, recognizing the girl’s expression rather than hearing her words. “But listen to me. You are strong, oh dear girl, you are so strong!”

“I'm coming.” Chloe’s father growled, a man silhouetted against the red glow and coming towards the stairs.

“You may be young and scared, but you have something that creature doesn’t.” Siwan continued, speaking over the growling. “You have your mother right beside you, holding you, loving you and protecting you. Believe me, Chloe, there is no power in the Universe that can compare to the love you and your mother have for each other. Use it! Use the love you have for each other and send that creature back to the Abyss!”

Chloe looked up at Siwan through the glass window and saw the truthfulness swirling in the large sapphire blue eyes, the truthfulness of her words.

“Chloe, I’m coming to hurt you.”

“I’m with you, Chloe.” Trish said, kneeling down next to her daughter and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone again.”

“Never.” Rose said, kneeling down on Chloe’s other side and taking her hand. “Sing, Chloe.”

“Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you.”

“Sing, Chloe!” Siwan shouted, banging on the door and feeling utterly helpless.

“Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.” Chloe began shakily.

“Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you.” Chloe’s father growled.

“Merry, merry king of the bush is he.” Chloe continued shakily as Rose sang with her.

“Chloe!” Chloe’s father growled.

“Merry, merry king of the bush is he.” Trish began singing with Chloe and Rose. “Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be. Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be.”

The three of them continued singing as the red glow slowly began to fade, the growling fading as well. The echo of Chloe’s father gave a final scream before he faded completely, and the red glow retreated as well.

“Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree. Merry, merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be.” All three sang in unison, laughing and smiling.

Siwan breathed a sigh of relief, resting her head against the door. She turned and slowly sank to the ground, sitting with her back against the door. She looked up at the sky, filled with light purples, reds and oranges from the setting sun on the horizon.

“Where are you guys?” She asked softly as Kel walked up to her.

“Maybe they’ve gone somewhere.” He suggested softly, his gaze sympathetic.

“Who’s going to hold their hands now?” She asked, looking up at him with a worried expression. “I know they’re alive, but I don’t know  _ where _ . And that is what is scaring me the most.”

Kel sighed and held a hand out to her.

“Just hold on to the knowledge that they’re alive.” He advised as she took his and he pulled her to her feet. “That’s what’s giving you hope that you’ll see them again. Don’t let your fear and worry cloud you.”

“You’re right.” Siwan said, sighing and letting go of Kel’s hand.

The two of them went back inside the house and into the living room. Siwan saw Trish standing in front of the TV with her arms around Chloe. Rose was standing next to them and all three were watching the newscast by Huw Edwards.

_ “They've returned.” _ Huw Edwards was saying as the camera showed the stadium.  _ “They've reappeared. It's quite incredible. Bob, this will certainly…” _

“80 000 people, so where are Seren and the Doctor?” Rose asked worriedly, nibbling on her thumbnail.

Siwan just shook her head, not having a reply.

_ “But hang on, the Torch Bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble.” _ The camera showed the Torch Bearer, staggering as he ran past the cheering crowds.  _ “We did see a flash of lightning earlier that seemed to strike him. Maybe he's injured.”  _ The Torch Bearer collapsed to the ground. The cheers of the crowd on screen turned to cries of alarm and worry.  _ “He's definitely in trouble. Does this mean that the Olympic dream is dead?” _

The Doctor and Seren ran to the Torch Bearer and Seren picked up the torch, her purse hanging from her shoulder. The Doctor wrapped his larger hand around her tiny one and they both began running with the torch.

“Doctor, Seren.” Siwan breathed in relief, a bright smile on her face.

“Thank God!” Rose cried, letting out a relieved laugh and hugging Siwan tightly.

_ “There's a mystery couple.” _   Huw Edwards said, the camera showing the Doctor and Seren running with the torch. The crowds cheered wildly as they passed.  _ “They’ve picked up the flame. We've no idea who they are.” _   Rose and Siwan laughed, staring at the screen that showed the Doctor and Seren, running through the stadium and beaming brightly. _ “They’re carrying the flame. Yes, they’re carrying the flame and no one wants to stop them. It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light - it's hope, and it's courage, and it's love.” _

The bright white spotlight followed the Doctor and Seren as they ran up the red carpeted stairs to the lower cauldron. The cheers from the crowd echoed around the couple as they stopped in front of the cauldron.

“Woo hoo hoo hoo!” The Doctor whooped with a huge grin of his face while Seren laughed delightedly.

Both of them turned and lowered the torch’s flame to the cauldron, lighting the gas.

“Go on, sweet child.” Seren said to the Isolus. She let go of the torch, leaving it in the Doctor’s hand. “Join your brothers and sisters.”

“They’ll be waiting.” The Doctor added with a grin, wrapping his arm around Seren’s waist and holding her close to him.

The flame ran up to the main cauldron and ignited into the proper Olympic flame, officially opening the Games. The Isolus pod flew into the air along a spark of the flame, shooting across the night sky as the couple watched, the extra spark unnoticed by anyone else.

The Doctor grinned as he put the torch to the side and looked down at Seren. She was glowing with happiness, a bright smile on her face and making her look more beautiful than ever. He was mesmerized by the flame light flickering along the contours of her face, making her eyes shine even brighter, the shimmer in her veins glow radiantly, and the blue tone of her hair stand out more.

He knew she wasn’t perfect, that she had very real flaws just like he did. Despite her calm rationality and down-to-earth nature, she had a ferocious temper and can lose it, like when she did in front of Rose in 1987 and Novice Hame on New Earth; she was capable of being absolutely ruthless, like when she held the bolt gun to Zachary and fully intended to use it if it hadn’t been for Rose and Siwan talking her down. He knew she wasn’t coherent in the mornings until she’d had her first cup of tea and the extent of her cooking was breakfast foods only. The one time she tried cooking something other than eggs, she accidentally set the kitchen on fire, leading them to have to evacuate the TARDIS for five hours with the extractor fans on full power.

But to his eyes, that was what made her perfect. Made her beautiful to him – her imperfections. Because they made her  _ real _ .

“What?” Seren asked, looking up at him and seeing him stare at her.

“I love you.” He said with a smile. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Seren said, smiling up at him.

The Doctor leaned down and kissed Seren deeply, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into the kiss like she always did.

The cheers around them mixed with wolf-whistles, the scene at the Flame cauldron televised and seen across the world.

In Trish’s home, Siwan and Rose laughed delightedly when they saw the Doctor swoop Seren into the deep kiss. Kel was staring with his jaw hanging open while Trish was blushing. She was trying and failing to cover Chloe’s eyes, the little girl constantly moving her mother’s hand so that she could see the TV screen.

At the stadium, the Doctor and Seren slowly pulled apart and gazed at each other, unaware of their surroundings and focused so completely on the love shining in the other’s eyes.

_ “Well, that is most certainly a memorable way to officially start the Olympic Games.”   _ Huw Edwards’ announced with a chuckle amid the cheers and wolf-whistles.  _ “An expression of the love the Torch stands for after lighting the Flame.” _

Seren’s eyes widened as the Huw’s words filtered through her brain and the sounds of the crowd reached her ears. She slowly turned to face the stadium and a deep, red blush filled her cheeks when she saw the massive crowd, all laughing and wolf-whistling.

“Oh,  _ Duw _ .” She muttered, turning back to the Doctor and burying her face in his chest.

The Doctor laughed lightly at her reaction and wrapped his arms around her.

“Let’s go find Siwan and Rose.” He said, his laughter fading into a chuckle.

Seren pulled back from his chest and nodded, the blush still very prominent on her cheeks.

~*~*~*~

“Where do you think they are?” The Doctor asked, as they walked at a leisurely pace along Dame Kelly Holmes Close, fingers interlocked.

“We can try Trish’s home.” Seren suggested, the bright blush that she had been sported when they kissed at the Olympic Cauldron had slowly faded into a light tint along her cheekbones.

Rose crept up behind them with a cheeky grin on her face, Siwan beside her and sporting a similar grin. Siwan had her purse swinging from her elbow.

“Cake?” Rose asked, holding up a small cupcake decorated with edible ball bearings.

The Doctor and Seren turned around and saw Rose and Siwan with the cheeky grins on their faces, the blonde holding up the cupcake. Seren smiled brightly as the Doctor laughed, walking towards the two women.

“Top banana!” He said, taking the cupcake and taking a small bite. “Mm. I can't stress this enough.” Rose and Siwan grinned from ear-to-ear, watching as the Doctor broke off a piece of the cupcake and fed it to Seren. “Ball bearings you can eat, masterpiece!”

Rose and Siwan laughed before wrapping their arms around the Doctor and Seren in a group hug, hugging them tightly. The hug was returned by both with equal vigour.

“I thought we’d lost you.” Rose said, pulling back from the Doctor.

“Tell me about it.” Siwan agreed, pulling back from Seren. “Even though the bond was still intact, it was so dim, it scared the life out of me.”

“Nah, not on a night like this.” The Doctor said as he and Seren were effectively sandwiched by Rose and Siwan.

“This is a night for lost things to be found.” Seren said in agreement.

“Come on.” The Doctor said, beginning to walk down the street and nibbling at his cupcake.

“What now?” Rose asked with a confused frown.

“We came for the Games, it would be a shame to miss them after all that’s happened.” Siwan said realistically, linking her arm with Seren.

“Go on, give us a clue.” Rose said, her frown fading into a grin and nudging the Doctor’s shoulder lightly. “Which events do we do well in?”

“Well, I will tell you this,” He said, taking a bite of the cupcake. “Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot-put.”

“Really?” Rose asked, gaping at him. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

“Doctor, are you serious or are you joking?” Siwan asked, looking at the Time Lord in disbelief. She looked at her sister, “Is he serious or is he joking?”

“Wait and see.” Seren replied, the wide grin on her face matching the one the Doctor was sporting.

There was a loud  _ ‘Crack!’ _ and fireworks erupted against the night sky in a blaze of colourful patterns.

“Oh, that is beautiful.” Seren breathed, looking up at the patterns the fireworks were making.

“Yes, it is.” The Doctor agreed, looking at Seren instead of the fireworks.

Rose and Siwan giggled, both seeing where the Doctor was looking. Siwan’s phone chimed with an incoming message alert and she pulled it out of her purse to look at it.

“Who is it?” Rose asked curiously.

“It’s Adam.” Siwan replied. “He’s reminding me to try and get back in time for the Fundraising Gala that’s being hosted by the hospital in June.”

“You going as his date?” Rose asked with a cheeky grin. “Or as his Administrative Aid ‘who works while traveling'?”

“Both.” Siwan replied with a grin of her own. The grin faded into a thoughtful frown “Though I’m not sure what to wear.”

“What about that evening dress you had bought on Vesperia a few weeks ago?” The Doctor suggested, looking at the sapphire-eyed Welshwoman.

“That’s a brilliant idea.” Siwan said, smiling brightly up at her sister’s boyfriend.

“He does have them on occasion.” Seren said loftily.

There was a gentle smile on Seren’s face while the Doctor pouted at her words. She reached up and pecked him lightly on the lips before pulling away.

“You know what?” Rose asked suddenly, a pondering expression on her face as she looked up at the fireworks.

“What?” Seren asked, glancing at Rose before looking up at the fireworks as well.

“They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will.” Rose replied, shaking her head lightly.

“Never say ‘never ever’.” Siwan said with a hint of warning in her tone.

“Nah, we’ll always be okay.” Rose said, dismissing the warning tone. “The four of us.” She looked at the Doctor and Seren, both looking up at the fireworks but not really seeing them. “Don’t you reckon, Doctor, Seren?”

“Something in the air…” The Doctor said contemplatively. “Something coming…”

“What?” Siwan asked concernedly, looking at the Doctor and Seren.

“A storm’s approaching.”  Seren said quietly.

Rose shivered involuntarily at the words, inching closer to the Doctor until she was leaning against his arm. He linked his arm with hers and the four of them looked up at the night sky, blazened with colorful fireworks.

_ Links: _

_ *Seren outfit -  _ [ _ https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478759502/ _ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478759502/)

_ *Seren hairstyle -  _ [ _ https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478105213/ _ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478105213/)

_ *Siwan outfit (blouse, trousers, shoes and purse) -  _ [ _ https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477175245/ _ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879477175245/)

_ *Siwan hairstyle -  _ [ _ https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/298152437821733520/ _ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/298152437821733520/)

_ *Seren blazer -  _ [ _ https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/292945150748728304/ _ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/292945150748728304/)


	14. Army of Ghosts

** Army of Ghosts **

_“Planet Earth. This is where I was born. And this is where I died. For the first 19 years of my life, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Not ever. And then my god-sister, Seren Jones, met a man called the Doctor. A man who could change his face. And he took my god-sister away from home in his magical machine, Seren’s sister and I joining them. He showed us the whole of Time and Space. We thought it would never end.”_

~*~

The Doctor, Seren, Siwan and Rose stood near the TARDIS, looking out as the sun set on the horizon of a rocky alien planet. Above them, flying manta rays soared past against the slowly darkening sky. Seren laughed delightedly as two small baby manta rays flew down to her and Siwan, gliding lazily a few feet above the ground.

Seren and Siwan held out their hands, lightly touching the leathery skin of the manta rays’ faces before pulling away and watching as they flew back to their parents. Seren sighed, a small smile on her face as she leaned against the Doctor and he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“How long are we gonna travel together?” He asked curiously, looking at the three women.

“Forever.” Seren replied instantly, smiling up at him.

“And always.” Siwan and Rose added in unison, both sporting smiles of their own.

“Good.” The Doctor said, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Seren’s head.

Seren sighed contently, leaning against the Doctor’s chest and watched the sun set over the horizon, a beautiful smile on her face.

~*~

_“That's what I thought. But then came the Army of Ghosts. Then came Torchwood and the War. And that's when it all ended. That was the one time, the Doctor’s machine couldn’t help. That was the one time, Seren and Siwan couldn’t save me.”_

Rose stood on a snow-capped beach, the chilly wind blowing through her short golden hair. The tears that had filled her eyes as she thought of the event that led her there fell down her cheeks, unchecked and without pause.

_“This… this is the story of how I died.”_

~*~

The TARDIS materialized, with the typical wheezing, in a secluded corner of the children’s playground on the Powell Estate grounds. Rose stepped out, dressed in a light blue sweater over a dark blue t-shirt, black trousers and black ankle boots, carrying a large red and black rucksack. Her golden hair was left open and parted in the middle, one side tucked behind her ear showing the silver hoop earrings she was wearing.

She slung the bag onto her back just as Seren and Siwan stepped out of the TARDIS behind her, the Doctor stepping out last and closing the door behind him.

Seren was dressed in a white spaghetti strap crop top that showed off her flat toned stomach, a light amethyst purple asymmetric maxi skirt that revealed her right toned leg up to the knee, amethyst purple 5” high heeled sandals. Her jewellery consisted of a diamond and amethyst pendant necklace, drop earrings and ring (on her left middle finger), her perception filter ring on her right ring finger and a silver and white textured bangle set on her left wrist*. Her hair was tied in a high pony, held with a white ribbon. From her wrist, hung a matching amethyst purple drawstring bag, embroidered with white flowers*.

Siwan was dressed in a sleeveless light green anarkali dress decorated with pink flower patterns, light pink leggings that bunched around her ankles and a pink, gold-bordered dupatta* around her neck. She wore a pair of light green and white diamond dangling earrings* and had her long hair was tied in a high pony held by a pink ribbon, her glasses perched on her nose. Hanging from her wrist was a light green drawstring bag, embroidered with darker green beadwork* and on her feet were a pair of nude coloured 6” high heeled sandals*.

The Doctor was in his typical brown pinstriped suit and converse shoes, with a white dress shirt, brown tie and long tan coat. His hair was in an artful disarray of spiky strands, making it evident that he had successfully managed to evade Seren’s attempts at trying to get his thick hair to lay flat.

The four travellers smiled at each other and walked through the playground, setting off towards the flats. All of them were eager to see their loved ones after what had been, for them at least, several months.

As they walked, the Doctor couldn’t help but ponder on the relationship he had with the Tyler/ Jones family. It was a relationship he didn’t have with any of his previous Companions’ families and he wondered if it had something to do with Seren’s influence on him. Or even the presence of Mica and David, the boy being the one who had been the first to adopt him into the family by calling him ‘Uncle Doctor’ and staying true to the title.

He glanced at the twins who were walking on either side of him, Rose walking next to Siwan, and couldn’t help but be grateful he had met the two of them. Even if they hadn’t been the reincarnations of Astraea and Aludra, he almost instinctively _knew_ that things could have been different, _he_ could’ve been different if he hadn’t met Seren in the basement of Hendrik’s in 2005.

Unaware of the thoughts that were swirling around the Time Lord’s mind, Seren, Siwan and Rose had bright smiles on their faces as they reached the building their dual-flat was located in. They raced up the stairs, laughing delightedly and playfully nudging each other with the Doctor behind them, chuckling at their antics.

“Mum! It’s us!” Rose yelled as they entered the Tyler’s side of the Tyler/ Jones dual flat. “We’re back!”

Jackie ran out of the kitchen, a bright smile on her face.

“Oh, I don’t know why you bother with that phone, Rose, you never use it!” Jackie exclaimed, relieved and exasperated at the same time. “You could try taking a page out of the twins’ book and _use_ your phone for once!”

Rose just grinned at her mother, the twins both laughing at the two blondes.

“Shut up, come here!” Rose said, pulling Jackie into a tight group hug with the twins as well.

“Oh, I love you girls!” Jackie cried, holding the three women tightly.

“I love you!” Rose replied, the word said in echoed unison with the twins.

“I love you so much!” Jackie exclaimed as the Doctor inched his way past the hugging group of women in the hallway. Jackie pulled away from Rose and the twins, whipping around and grabbing the Doctor’s arm. “Oh, no you don’t! Come here!” She pulled him towards her and kissed him firmly despite his protests, much to Seren’s amusement as she barely managed to hold back her laughter. Siwan and Rose, both sporting wide grins at Jackie’s actions, moved further into the flat. “Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine!”

“Just – Just… put me down!” The Doctor protested, trying to speak over Jackie as she hugged him tightly.

“Yes, you are!” Jackie cooed, kissing him firmly one more time before walking off after Rose and Siwan.

Seren couldn’t hold back her amusement and began giggling uncontrollably, especially when the Doctor wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked at her as she tried to stifle her giggling but failed spectacularly.

“Not funny.” He growled, stepping towards her and crowding her against the wall.

“It is a little funny.” Seren said through her giggles, looking up at him with mirth shining in her eyes.

“Oh, really?” He asked with a cheeky grin.

Without waiting for a response, he swooped down and kissed her deeply. Her eyes fluttered shut automatically and she melted against him, letting him hold her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I don’t know if I want you to stop kissing me like that or to keep on doing it.” Seren said, breathless and dazed, when they pulled apart.

“I vote for continuing it.” The Doctor said with a rather proud smile on his face, wrapping his arm around her waist. He never got tired of seeing the dazed look on her face whenever he kissed her, feeling a sense of pride at knowing _he_ was the one that caused it and only _he_ was allowed to.

Seren didn’t reply, just leaned into his hold as they walked into the sitting room.

“Aunt Jackie, where’s Amanda?” Siwan asked curiously. Normally, the Immortal woman would be right with Jackie when meeting them, hugging them just as tightly and asking them hundreds of questions about their travels.

“She returned to Paris last week with Gina and Robert deValicourt.” Jackie replied, looking at the Welshwoman. “And Joe’s gone to Seacouver with Duncan.”

Siwan nodded in understanding and moved past the two blondes, going into the sitting room.

“I’ve got loads of washing for ya!” Rose said cheerfully, pulling off her rucksack and dropping it in Jackie’s arms.

“Why you still haven’t learned how to use the washing machine in the TARDIS is beyond me.” Siwan commented, removing her heels and sitting down on the sofa.

“And, I got you this.” Rose continued, ignoring Siwan’s comment. She pulled out a tiny, ornate metal bottle from her pocket and held it up with a bright grin. “It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar.”

“Epeer.” Seren supplied, not looking up from the stack of her mail she was looking through.

“‘Epeer.” Rose repeated before continuing, “It's made of, um…” she turned to the Doctor who was standing next to Seren and flicking through a magazine that had been lying on the table. “What's it called?”

“Bazoolium.” The Doctor answered, not looking up from his magazine

“Bazoolium.” Rose repeated, turning back to Jackie with a grin. “When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's going to rain. When it's hot, it's going to be sunny. You can use it to tell the weather.”

Just as Rose had gotten a gift for her mother, Seren had once gifted Jackie with the pair of silver hoop earrings the older woman was wearing, earrings that would never lose their shine and would be light in the darkness and Siwan had once gifted the older woman with a beautiful fountain pen that would never lose its ink.

“I’m going to go shower and get dressed.” Siwan said, getting up from the sofa.

“Before you go, Siwan, I’ve got a surprise for the three of you and all.” Jackie said, beaming at the girls and nodding in acknowledgment at Rose’s present.

“Oh, I get her bazoolium, she doesn't even say thanks.” Rose said dryly.

“What is it?” Seren asked, turning to look at the older woman curiously.

“Guess who's coming to visit?” Jackie asked excitedly, looking at the three girls. “You're just in time, he'll be here at ten past. Who do you think it is?”

Rose, Seren and Siwan exchanged looks, completely confused. Siwan was certain no one had called about a visit, let alone a regular visit. There was also the fact that absolutely _no one_ in their circle of family and friends was so punctual that they would arrive exactly at the appointed time, this instance being ten past. The only reason Siwan was exactly that punctual was because Adam’s job as a doctor demanded it, and being his AA, punctuality was demanded of her as well.

“I don’t know.” Seren replied, shaking her head.

“Oh go on, guess.” Jackie urged excitedly.

“No, I hate guessing.” Rose said, shaking her head. “Just tell us.”

“It’s you grandad.” Jackie said, beaming happily. “Grandad Prentiss.”

Seren, Rose and Siwan’s jaws dropped in shock and disbelief, almost certain that it was impossible. They exchanged worried looks and turned back to Jackie.

“He’ll be here any minute.” Jackie continued, unaware of the three girls’ worried expressions. “Right! Cup of tea!” She turned and walked into the kitchen, picking up the kettle and filling it with water.

“It’s official, she’s gone mad.” Rose breathed, gaping at her mother’s back.

“Tell me something new.” The Doctor remarked cheerfully, moving to stand next to Seren and wrap his arm around her waist.

“Grand Tad Prentiss, that’s Aunt Jackie’s dad.” Seren said softly, looking up at the Time Lord with a worried frown. “ _Cariad_ , he passed away ten years ago.”

“Oh, my God, she’s lost it.” Rose breathed, following Jackie into the kitchen with the twins and the Doctor behind her. “Mum? What you said about Granddad…”

“Any second now.” Jackie said, looking at her wrist watch.

“Aunt Jackie, he passed away.” Siwan said gently. “Do you remember how his heart gave out?”

“Of course, I do.” Jackie said, looking at Siwan like she was mad for believing otherwise.

“Then how can he come back?” Rose asked, confused.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Jackie asked in response, glancing at her watch before looking at the space next to her by the counter. “Ten past, here he comes.”

Seren, Siwan, Rose and the Doctor watched in shock and surprise as an ethereal, humanoid shape walked into the kitchen through the outside wall. The figure stood next to Jackie.

“Here we are, then.” Jackie said with a bright smile. She looked between the incorporeal figure and the three stunned girls. “Dad, say hello to Rose and the twins. Ain’t they grown?”

For a few seconds, the four recently returned travellers didn’t say anything and just stared at the ‘ghost’, completely stunned. Then, as one, they turned and ran out of the flat, leaving the building entirely. They stopped short at the sight that greeted them on the Estate grounds.

“They’re everywhere!” The Doctor exclaimed in shock.

Sure enough, the ‘ghosts’ were literally everywhere, standing around like ordinary people with several children playing games near them. Everyone carried on about their day as though it was a normal, everyday occurrence.

“Doctor, look out!” Rose shouted suddenly, pointing to something behind the Time Lord.

He turned around just as a ‘ghost’ walked right through him. He shuddered at the sensation, feeling as though someone poured a bucket of ice-cold water over him while at the same time there was _nothing_. No trace of thought or emotion to be sensed, _nothing_.

“Seren, Siwan, do you sense anything?” He asked, whirling around to look at the twins who were standing next to each other a few feet away from him.

“No, nothing.” Seren replied with an uncomfortable expression on her face, shaking her head and hugging herself tightly. “It’s like they’re not even there.”

“If I wasn’t seeing them, I would say they don’t even exist.” Siwan added, her own posture mirroring Seren’s, right down to the uncomfortable expression on her face.

“They haven’t got long.” Jackie commented, walking over to the Doctor, the twins and Rose. “Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They’re about to fade.”

“What do you mean, ‘shift’?” The Doctor asked incredulously, looking at her. “Since when did _ghosts_ have _shifts_?”

“Since when did _shifts_ have _ghosts_?” Seren asked.

“What’s going on?” The Doctor asked, looking at Jackie with a frown.

“Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie commented, aiming her words at the twins and Rose.

“But no one’s running or screaming.” Siwan said with a confused frown, looking at the people milling around the Estate and going about their daily routines. “Why isn’t anyone freaking out?”

“Why should we?” Jackie asked with a shrug

“Aunt Jackie, the last time something strange happened that no one could understand, World War Three was nearly started.” Seren pointed out, remembering the incident with the Slitheen.

“Here we go, 12 minutes past.” Jackie said, glancing at her watch briefly.

All around them, the ‘ghosts’ disappeared, fading away while the people continued with their routines and not even batting an eyelash.

Jackie smiled reassuringly at the three girls. Her emotions were at war with each other; one part of her was happy that she had a remnant of her departed father while another was concerned over the twins’ words. She knew the twins were more sensitive to the Seen and the Unseen, because of them being Chosen Ones and their connection to the Mara and the Lost Lands, but she desperately wanted them to be wrong, just this once she wanted the remnant of her father to be real.

The Doctor looked around even more confused while the twins hugged themselves even tighter, a feeling of dread washing over them.

They slowly went back to the Tyler/ Jones flat. Siwan multi-tasked between getting ready for the Gala and speaking to Adam on her mobile while the Doctor sat on the floor in front of the TV and put on his glasses, flicking through the different channels.

_“On today's Ghostwatch.”_ Alistair Appleton said with a bright smile on his face. _“Claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge.”_ The camera cut to Westminster Bridge, showing dozens of the ghosts milling around the bridge. _“It's almost like a military display.”_

Seren sat next to the Doctor on the floor while Jackie sat on the sofa behind them, Rose perching on the arm rest.

“What the hell is going on?” The Doctor wondered out loud with a frown as he changed the channel to the weather report.

Unlike regular report maps that contained weather symbols in the corresponding areas to show the forecast, this map contained little pictures of ghosts.

_“And tonight, we're expecting very strong ghosts from London, through the North and up into Scotland.”_ The weatherman reported.

The Doctor changed the channel again, to Trisha Goddard’s show – I Married a Dead Man.

_“So basically, Eileen,”_ Trisha said, looking at her guest. _“What you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost?”_

The camera panned to a woman, Eileen, sitting in front of the studio, a ghost hovering in front of another chair next to her.

_“He’s_ my _ghost and I love him, 24/7!”_ Eileen proclaimed tearfully.

The Doctor changed the channel amidst the live audience’s applause.

_“Well, no one needs me anymore!”_ Derek Acorah, a ghost hunter, shouted angrily in his interview.

The channel was changed again, this time to an advert.

_“My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered… Ectoshine!”_ A housewife wearing an apron said, looking at the camera while an animated ghost hovered around her.

Siwan walked into the living room, wearing a beautiful peacock blue and silver spaghetti strapped evening gown* that she had bought a few weeks earlier on another planet, Vesperia. Instead of her glasses, she had a pair of clear contacts in her sapphire-blue eyes and a pair of white and peacock blue diamond chandelier earrings* dangling from her ears. She wasn’t wearing her shoes, nor had she done her hair yet, the long tresses wrapped in a towel to keep her clothes from getting wet after her quick shower.

“According to Adam, this is all over the world.” She said, gesturing to the mobile she had in her hand.

“What?!” Seren asked in shock while the Doctor turned to a French news station.

_“Et le President d'aujourd'hui, quelle est…”_ The French newscaster said, the footage of ghosts wandering around the Eiffel Tower being shown.

The Doctor changed the channel to an Indian news station which showed the ghosts around the Taj Mahal.

A Japanese news station showed footage of three Japanese girls shrieking excitedly as they showed off their ‘ghost’ shirts.

“Oh, my God, it really is all over the world.” Rose breathed, her eyes wide in shock.

“That cannot be good.” Seren muttered quietly, just loud enough for the Doctor to hear.

He nodded in agreement. Whatever these ghosts were, the entire population of Earth was surrounded, and they didn’t even realize it.

Siwan held the mobile back to her ear, the faint sounds of Adam’s voice being heard by the rest.

“Okay, I’ll see you later.” Siwan said into the mobile. “I love you.” She waited for a moment before ending the call and putting the mobile on charge near the dining table.

Seren took the TV remote from the Doctor and changed the channel, ending up on an episode of EastEnders with Peggy Mitchell behind the bar of the Vic.

_“Listen to me, Den Watts.”_ Peggy shouted to a ghost. _“I don't care if you have come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me. Get out!”_

Seren shook her head and turned the TV off. Siwan sat in front of her so that she could style the not-quite younger woman’s hair.

“When did this start?” The Doctor asked, looking at Jackie and leaning back against the sofa.

“Well, first of all,” Jackie started in a conspiratorial tone, leaning forward slightly. “Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down-”

“No, I mean, worldwide.” The Doctor clarified, knowing that if he let Jackie continue, he would be sitting there for an eternity.

“Oh, that was about two months ago.” Jackie replied. “Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were. Ghosts, everywhere. We all ran ‘round screaming and that, whole planet was panicking. No sign of you, thank you very much! Then it sort of sank in. It took us time to realise that…” She took Rose’s hand and held it, sending fond looks at the twins. “…we're lucky.”

“Two months ago.” Siwan said thoughtfully, leaning her head front at Seren’s prompt. “That would explain why Adam didn’t say anything when he messaged me while we were at the Olympic Games. For him, that was _three_ months ago.”

“What makes you think it’s Granddad?” Rose asked gently.

“It just feels like him.” Jackie replied with a frown, her voice quiet. “There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you girls smell it?”

“I wish I could, Mum, but I can’t.” Rose said softly, shaking her head sadly.

Jackie turned to Seren and Siwan, seeing both Welshwomen shake their heads as well.

“You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it, sweetheart.” The older woman told her three girls.

“And the more you want it, the stronger it gets?” Seren asked, looking at Jackie with a frown.

“Sort of, yeah.” Jackie replied, nodding.

“Like a psychic link.” The Doctor commented in realization.  He sighed sympathetically, rubbing his hand over his hair, sending the thick locks into disarray. “Of course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're _wishing_ him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in.”

“You’re spoiling it.” Jackie said softly, frowning at the Time Lord.

“We’re sorry Aunt Jackie, but we can’t smell anything, let alone Grand Tad’s cigarettes.” Siwan said gently, reaching out to take Jackie’s hand.

“Done.” Seren said, pinning the last bobby pin in place to hold Siwan’s hairstyle in place before looking at Jackie, “Whatever it is, it’s just a memory of him, Aunt Jackie.”

Siwan’s hair was tied with a fancy crown braid holding her hair back, the rest left loose and tumbling around her shoulders and back in a cascade of gentle, silken curls. There were a few tendrils left loose in the front, framing her face gently*.

“But if they're not ghosts, what are they then?” Rose asked, her expression a cross between curiosity and worry.

“Yeah, but they're human! You can see them! They look human!” Jackie exclaimed in defence of the ghosts.

“She's got a point.” Rose said, nodding in agreement. “I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people.”

“I don’t think they are.” Seren said, shaking her head. “If they were people, even remnant of the people we knew, Siwan and I would be able to sense them. At least the echoes of who they were when they were alive. Like the warmth and strength of Grand Tad’s hugs.”

“But there was absolutely nothing from them.” Siwan said with a light shudder, remembering the feeling of being near the ‘ghosts’ a short while earlier.

“It could be that they’re pressing themselves into the surface of the world.” The Doctor said thoughtfully, absently nibbling on the pad of his thumb. “But a footprint doesn’t look like a boot.”

He quickly got to his feet, pulling Seren up as well.

“What are you thinking?” Seren asked, seeing an inquisitive expression on his face.

The Doctor just gave her a manic grin and pulled her out of the room.

“Can you grab that silver clutch purse from my room while you’re in the TARDIS?” Siwan yelled to their retreating back.

“Sure!” Seren yelled back just before the front door slammed shut behind their retreating backs.

“I’m gonna go finish getting ready.” Siwan said, shaking her head and turning to go to her room. “Which would be just grabbing my shoes.”

“You’re not planning on wearing any makeup?” Jackie asked curiously, deciding to focus on her younger god-daughter while the older one was preoccupied with keeping her boyfriend in line.

“Haven’t really thought about wearing any.” Siwan replied, shrugging. She looked at Jackie and Rose, “Should I wear a little?”

“Definitely.” Rose replied, nodding emphatically. “It would completely blow him away, especially since it would’ve been almost three months since he last spoke to you.”

“Okay.” Siwan replied with a grin, a slightly dreamy look in her eyes as she thought about her beloved Immortal.

Siwan turned and left the room while Rose’s eye was caught by a nearby newspaper. She picked it up and looked at it, seeing the coverage about the MP elections. Jackie sighed softly and went into the kitchen, needing something to do to keep herself occupied.

She had just finished reading the article when Siwan returned, her silver 6” high heeled platform sandals* on her feet and her minimal makeup done, consisting of a dusting of face powder, a light coat of peacock blue eyeshadow with a line of silver along the crease, black eyeliner* and black kohl lining her waterline with clear gloss highlighting her natural reddish-pink lips. She still had her light green drawstring bag, evidently intending to transfer the contents into her clutch in the TARDIS.

“You are definitely going to blow him away.” Rose said, her eyes wide when she took in her beautiful god-sister’s appearance.

“Come on.” Siwan said with a smile, walking towards the front door with Rose. “What’s the paper about?” she asked, seeing the newspaper in the blonde’s hand.

“MP elections and polls.” Rose replied, handing the paper to the older woman as they left the flat.

Siwan read the article as she walked, an unbelieving expression growing on her face the more she read.

“Seriously?” She asked after a few minutes, looking at Rose with a raised eyebrow.

“Mm-hmm.” Rose nodded, the two walking across the playground towards the TARDIS.

Rose opened the TARDIS door and walked in, Siwan behind her.

“Hey, according to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds.” Rose said, seeing Seren standing by the console and looking down at the grilling.

“Don’t say you’re going to sit back and do nothing.” Siwan said, closing the door behind her and walking up to the console.

“Here.” Seren said, handing a silver clutch purse that had little silver diamantes scattered across the cover* to Siwan.

“Thanks.” Siwan said, taking the purse and transferring the contents of her drawstring bag – mobile, Bo-staffs, wallet, etc. – into it. “I can’t say this enough, I am so glad we have bigger-on-the-inside technology.”

“Tell me about it.” Seren muttered.

The gold-rimmed amethyst-eyed woman had a habit of packing her purse with seemingly random things, from a toothbrush and toothpaste to a travel-sized repair tool kit. Oftentimes, the random items would come in handy, but before she had access to the TARDIS’ Wardrobe and the bigger-on-the-inside purses, she would use large bags that could carry all of her items. During her first trip with the Doctor, she had ended up making use of a large swab of cloth, clothespins and scissors she had managed to fit into her purse when giving birth to Merneith and Djet’s son, Asar.

The Doctor sprang up suddenly from beneath the grilling on the console floor, wearing a strange-looking backpack and holding a hosepipe-looking, gun-like device.

“Who ya gonna call?” He asked, bopping his head insanely to the Ghostbusters tune and climbing out from the grilling.

“Ghostbusters!” Rose, Siwan and Seren cheered, laughing lightly at his actions.

“I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.” He continued, bopping his head and walking out of the TARDIS.

Seren, Siwan and Rose giggled and followed him out, seeing Jackie standing outside with her arms crossed. He arranged three metal cones in a triangle on the grass, connected by thin wires.

“Aunt Jackie, when’s the next shift?” Seren asked as the Doctor adjusted the last cone properly.

“Quarter to.” Jackie replied, glancing at her watch. “But don't go causing trouble.” She looked at the triangle of cones. “What's that lot do?”

“Triangulates their point of origin.” The Doctor replied, speaking normally again as h crouched down to look at the angles from a lower position.

“Seren, you had said something about a race you encountered, the Gelth. Is it possible it could be them?” Siwan asked, looking at her sister.

“Nah! They were just coming through one little rift.” The Doctor replied, adjusting the angles and the connecting wires. “This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper.”

“And I was able to feel the Gelth, to an extent.” Seren added. “There’s absolutely nothing with this lot.”

“You're always doing this.” Jackie complained crossly. “Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real? Just think of it, though... all the people we've lost, our families, coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?”

The Doctor paused his frantic adjustments and looked at her. “I think it’s horrific.” He said softly.

Jackie looked taken aback by his response.

“That’s what Adam said.” Jackie said softly to herself, her shock fading to sympathy.

Jackie thought about the little she knew about the Doctor’s past, as well as what Adam had told them all about his own past. She realized that, for them at least, seeing those they had lost would probably be much more painful than for anyone else. Especially with how old they were. For them, it would dredge up memories of the pasts that they’d had to lock away for the sake of their own sanity, no matter how much they missed the loved ones they had lost over the years.

The Doctor started to unwind the cable and lead it back into the TARDIS, the four women following behind him.

“Rose, Siwan, give us a hand, please.” Seren said as the Doctor plugged the cable end into the console. “Okay, as soon as the Doctor activates the cones, if that line,” she positioned Rose in front of the monitor and pointed to the screen, “turns red, press that button there.” She pointed to the button in question, speaking slowly and clearly to make sure Rose understood. “Got it?”

“Line turns red, press the button.” Rose said, pointing to the button she was supposed to press.

“Great.” Seren said with a grin before turning to her sister, positioning her next to Rose. “Siwan, if it doesn’t stop,” she held her hand out to the Doctor and he handed her the sonic screwdriver. She fiddled with it for a second before handing it to Siwan. “Use the screwdriver. It’s set on 15B. Hold it against the port for 8 seconds then stop.”

Jackie closed the door behind her and watched as the Doctor worked while Seren began explaining the controls to Rose and Siwan. She saw the difference in Rose, the way she had changed since she began travelling with the Doctor and Seren, growing as a person in a way the older woman had only hoped and prayed she would. But there was another part of her that was afraid, afraid for the three girls, her babies. What would happen after she died? After Rhiannon, Johnny and the kids died and there was no reason for the girls to return to Earth or see the planet as home? In a hundred or two hundred years, would the twins still be the girls that Ifan, Glenda, Pete and herself had worked together to raise? In fifty or sixty years, would Rose? Or would they have changed so much that their own parents wouldn’t recognize them anymore? Will Siwan ever settle down with Adam, have a family of her own? Or will Adam join them on the travels, slowly change as well until he’s completely unrecognizable as well?

“8 seconds, then stop.” Siwan repeated in understanding, taking the screwdriver.

“Perfect.” Seren said, grinning. “Rose, if the line turns blue,” she turned to the blonde and gestured to the monitor. “You’ll have to activate the deep scan on the left.”

“Hang on a minute, I know.” Rose said before Seren could continue. She leaned over the console and pointed to one. “It’s that one.”

“Close.” Seren said, chuckling lightly.

“That one?” Rose asked, slightly more hesitant as she pointed to another button.

“That one will kill us.” Seren said, only half-joking.

“Oops.” Rose said sheepishly, pointing to another one. “That one.”

“Perfect.” Seren said, a look of pride on her face as she looked at the taller girl.

Rose grinned happily, a look of pride on her own face. Siwan smiled proudly as well, knowing how much it meant to Rose to be seen as a mature adult and not the immature girl she had been only a few months earlier.

“Now, what have we got? Two minutes to go?” The Doctor asked, looking at Jackie.

Jackie checked her watch and nodded silently. The Doctor kissed Seren’s head lightly and walked out of the TARDIS, holding the hosepipe-like device.

Siwan plugged the sonic screwdriver into the console port Seren had pointed out, just as the Doctor pressed the hosepipe-like device onto each of the cones to activate them. Seren watched him on the monitor, ready to tell Rose and Siwan what needs to be done.

“Seren, what’s the line doing?” The Doctor shouted through the open door.

“It’s still holding!” Seren shouted back.

“You even look like him, Seren.” Jackie said softly, walking towards the three women at the console. “All three of you do, in fact.”

“What do you mean?” Seren asked confused, glancing at Jackie and tucking a lock of hair that had come loose behind her ear.

“I s’ppose we do, yeah.” Rose said with a small smile, seeing the words as a compliment.

“You girls have changed so much.” Jackie commented, her voice still soft. “Especially you, Rose.”

“For the better, I hope.” Rose said, glancing at the older blonde.

“I suppose.” Jackie murmured.

“Mum, I used to work in a _shop_.” Rose said, turning to face the older woman.

Seren raised her eyebrow, not seeing anything wrong with where they used to work. True, it used to irritate her because she had worked hard for her A-Levels yet couldn’t work anywhere else that would grant her the flexibility she needed, but she made do with what she had and was grateful for it as it allowed her to remain with Siwan. Ultimately, it had been working in a shop that led her to meet the Doctor, and she wouldn’t change it for anything.

“I’ve worked in shops, and so has Seren.” Jackie said defensively. “What’s wrong with _that_?”

Siwan sighed quietly to herself, watching the monitor. No matter how much Rose had grown in the past few months, she still tended to speak before thinking.

“No, I didn't mean _that_.” Rose said, backtracking her words.

“I know what you meant.” Jackie said reassuringly. “But what will happen when I’m gone? When Johnny, Rhi and the kids are gone?”

“Aunt Jackie, don’t talk like that.” Seren pleaded, turning to look at the older woman with pain-filled eyes.

Rose and Siwan also looked at the older woman with pained eyes, not wanting to even entertain the idea that they might lose her any sooner than they had to.

“No, but really girls. When Rhi, Johnny, the kids and I are dead and buried, you won’t have any reason to come back home.” Jackie said, pointing out the cold, hard truths. “The only reason you would return would be if Siwan decided to stay on Earth with Adam, and it’s very likely that won’t happen. So, what happens then?”

She looked at them with a piercing gaze, her light blue eyes expressing her inner turmoil, the turmoil that had kept her awake for many a night while the girls were gone.

“I don’t know.” Seren said quietly.

“Do you think you’ll _ever_ settle down? Have families?” Jackie asked. She looked at Siwan, “You and Adam?” She looked at Seren, “You and the Doctor?” She looked at Rose, “And what about you, Rose? Do you think you’ll find a nice person to settle down with and stop travelling with the Doctor and Seren?”

“I don’t know.” Rose replied quietly, avoiding Jackie’s piercing gaze.

“Aunt Jackie, the Doctor and I just began exploring a relationship.” Seren said gently. “It’s a bit early to think about having a family, not to mention we haven’t actually gone beyond kissing.”

She didn’t mention the reincarnation or the fact that she and the Doctor did have a family in her past life, there was no need to give the older woman a heart attack.

“And Adam can’t have kids.” Siwan said softly, reminding Jackie about the curse of Adam’s Immortality.

“There is more than one way to have a family and you know it.” Jackie snapped.

“We know, Mum.” Rose said reassuringly. “But the truth is, right now, I’ll just keep traveling with him and Seren.”

“And you'll keep on changing.” Jackie predicted. “And in 40 years’ time, 50, there'll be these women, these strange women, walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. But they’re not Rose Tyler and the jones twins... not anymore. They’re so unrecognizable, that not even their _parents_ would know who they are.”

Seren, Siwan and Rose looked at Jackie, stunned and shocked by the words. If they were being honest with themselves, they were also a little hurt at the words. But they knew that Jackie was telling the truth, and _that_ was what made it hurt.

In a few years, they _will_ be unrecognizable. The question was, would they at least recognize themselves?

“Here we go!” The Doctor shouted, drawing the Tyler/ Jones women out of their thoughts.

Rose, Seren and Siwan turned to the monitor and looked at the readings.

“The scanner’s working!” Seren called through the door. “It says ‘Delta One Six!’”

Seren pressed a few buttons on the console and brought up a video feed of what was happening outside alongside the image of the scanner.

The Doctor was on his feet and watching as a ghost materialized inside the cones, being held in place by a pyramid of electrical current. The Doctor put on a pair of 3D glasses and looked at the image of the ghost before bending down and adjusting the equipment controls.

“I don’t think the ghost likes that very much.” Rose commented as the ghost began to writhe and groan from within its containment field.

“Who are you?” Siwan asked with a frown, looking at the screen. “Where are you coming from?”

“Doctor!” Seren cried in alarm, seeing the ghost lash out and try to strike the Doctor.

He jumped back as the ghost was held in place by the containment field while Seren gave a sigh of relief. Jackie put a comforting hand on the younger woman’s shoulder, not moving her gaze from the monitor.

“They’re not as friendly as I thought.” Jackie muttered, a look of worry on her face.

“I just hope he doesn’t…” Seren started, seeing the Doctor’s expression as he looked at the ghost. “…provoke it.” she finished exasperatedly, seeing him do just that.

The ghost continued shuddering for several seconds before it jolted… and disappeared entirely.

“Where’d it go?” Rose asked, confused.

“I don’t know.” Seren said, seeing the Doctor pick up the cones.

She looked at the door and saw him enter the TARDIS a second later, carrying the cones and the equipment. She rolled her eyes exasperatedly when he dropped his burden to the floor.

“I said so!” He exclaimed cheerfully, removing his coat and tossing it over a Y-beam. “Those ghosts are being forced into existence from one specific point, and I can track down the source!” Seren picked up all the equipment and placed them neatly on the side while the Doctor bounded towards the console and began fiddling with the controls. “Allons-y!”

He pulled down the lever and the TARDIS shuddered, sending them to the ground.

“Honestly!” Seren shouted exasperatedly, pulling herself back to her feet.

“Allons-y?” Rose repeated, laughing as she pulled herself back up.

“It’s French.” Siwan explained, getting to her feet and making sure her dress was still intact. “It means ‘let’s go’.”

“I like that, ‘allons-y’.” The Doctor continued happily as he got to his feet and began running around the console. “I should say ‘allons-y’ more often. Allons-y! Look sharp, Seren Jones, allons-y!” Seren smiled at him and walked towards the console, leaning against it as the Time Lord continued his rambling. “Quick, Siwan Jones, allons-y! Watch out, Rose Tyler, allons-y! And then, it would be really brilliant if I met someone called Alonso, because then I could say, ‘allons-y, Alonso’, every time.” He stopped in front of Seren and saw her staring at him with a strange smile on her face. “Honey, you're staring at me.”

“ _Cariad_ , Aunt Jackie’s still on board.” Seren whispered.

The four time travellers looked up to see Jackie sitting on the gantry, her legs dangling off the edge and swinging lightly. The older woman had quietly wandered away while the Doctor had been rambling.

“If we end up on Mars, I'm gonna kill you.” Jackie threatened the Doctor.

She folded her arms over her chest as the Doctor started up at her, completely _horrified_. Rose smirked at his expression while Seren and Siwan burst out laughing.

“Did you two know she was still here before we left?” He asked, rounding on the twins.

“Oh, yeah.” The twins replied in unison, nodding as they stopped laughing.

“And you didn’t tell me?!” He asked incredulously.

“And miss your expression?” Seren asked in response, waving at his face.

“No chance.” Siwan said, sitting on the jump seat and swinging her legs lightly.

Seren giggled as the Doctor pouted at her. She kissed him lightly and moved to pull away, only for him to wrap his arms around her waist and deepen the kiss. She moaned and melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Guys!” Siwan shouted, getting the couple’s attention before they could get too lost in one another. They pulled apart and looked at her, their arms still around each other. “Ghosts that are being forced into existence, remember?”

The Doctor and Seren separated, both sporting sheepish expressions.

“Right, let’s find those ghosts.” The Doctor said breathlessly, moving to the console and getting back to piloting them to the designated coordinates.

Seren bit her lip, a slightly dreamy expression on her. The Doctor always took her breath away when he kissed her, making her forget everything except him and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You looks like you’ve been snogged to within an inch of your life.” Jackie commented from the gantry, looking at Seren’s slightly dishevelled appearance and the hair in disarray as well as the completely dazed expression.

The Doctor, hearing Jackie’s comment, glanced over at Seren and couldn’t help the look of pride on his face at her dazed expression or the slight blush that filled his cheeks at realizing _Jackie_ had seen him kiss her god-daughter. He was by no means embarrassed that he had been caught kissing Seren. It actually fuelled his pride, showing that he was the one that could render the normally calm and pragmatic woman completely dazed. The embarrassment was because Jackie, Seren’s god-mother, was the one that saw them.

Siwan and Rose looked at each other and started laughing, unable to hold in their amusement at Jackie’s comment combined with Seren’s dazed expression and the Doctor’s mixed expression of pride and embarrassment.

Seren was drawn out of her daze at the sound of the tell-tale whirring and grinding, alerting her to their landing. She moved to stand beside the Doctor, Rose and Siwan at the monitor, Jackie joining them a second later.

“There goes the advantage of surprise.” The Doctor muttered dryly as they watched the TARDIS get surrounded by a troupe of armed security guards dressed in arctic grey BDU’s.

“Cuts to the chase.” Siwan pointed out.

“Seren, Siwan, stay in here.” The Doctor said, walking towards the door. “Rose, look after Jackie.”

“I’m not staying here while you go out alone.” Seren said adamantly, glaring up at him.

“Neither am I.” Siwan said firmly, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

“I’m _not_ looking after my _mum_.” Rose argued.

“You _brought_ her.” The Doctor shot back.

“I was _kidnapped_.” Jackie cried indignantly.

Seren shoved passed the Doctor and stood in front of the door, blocking the way.

“ _Cariad_ , they’ve got _guns_.” Seren said softly, concern and worry etched across her features.

“And I haven't.” The Doctor pointed out, gently lifting Seren up and moving her away from the door. “Which makes me the better person, don't you think? They can shoot me dead, but the moral high ground is mine.”

“The moral high ground may be yours, but you end up dead, I’m going to bring you back and then kill you myself.” Seren threatened him with a growl.

“Understood.” He said with a slight shudder at her words, knowing she wouldn’t hesitate to carry out her threat.

He kissed her forehead reassuringly and stepped out of the TARDIS with his hands up, making sure that the women wouldn’t be seen. He left the door open a crack allowing Seren, Siwan, Rose and Jackie to hear what was happening. The four of them peeked out through the frosted window so they could see as well.

“Oh!” A blonde woman exclaimed, rushing into the room and hurrying towards the Doctor and the TARDIS. “Oh, how marvellous!” She clapped excitedly as the soldiers relaxed their armed postures. “Oh, very good! Superb! Happy day!” She began clapping again, this time the soldiers rose followed suit.

“That’s Yvonne Hartman!” Siwan whispered in surprise, recognize the black-clad woman.

“Who’s Yvonne Hartman?” Jackie asked in an equal whisper. “And how do you know her?”

“Never mind that right now.” Rose hissed, though she was curious how Siwan knew the woman.

“Um… thanks.” The Doctor said, lowering his arms and looking at Yvonne and the guards in confusion. “Nice to meet you.”

“Never mind how Siwan knows her. I want to know what’s with the strange reaction we’re getting.” Seren hissed, on her tiptoes so that she could see through the window. “We never get this sort of welcome.”

“I’m the Doctor.” He said, unknowingly thinking the same thing Seren had said to Jackie.

“Oh, I should say.” Yvonne said, beaming. “Hurray!”

There was another round of clapping by Yvonne and the guards.

“You’ve heard of me, then?” The Doctor asked with a frown.

“Well of course we have.” Yvonne said nonchalantly.

Seren frowned, something about this situation not sitting right with her. She didn’t know how Yvonne knew about the Doctor, but it sent a wave of uneasiness through her.

Siwan frowned, wondering if this was the organization that Adam and Joe had warned her about, the organization that even the Immortals were wary of. The organization the Captain Harkness ran a branch of in Cardiff. Torchwood.

“And I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here.” Yvonne continued, beaming brightly. “The Doctor _and_ the TARDIS.”

She began clapping again, followed by the guards until the Doctor gestured for silence.

“And – And – And you are?” The Doctor asked, looking at her completely baffled.

“Oh, plenty of time for that.” Yvonne said dismissively, waving away the question. “But according to the records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor and his Companion, that's the pattern, isn't that right? Or in this case, it would be ‘Companion _s_ ’ seeing as you’re travelling with the Jones twins.”

Seren, Siwan and Rose exchanged looks, not liking how the blonde knew so much about them. Jackie muttered under her breath, a fiercely protective look on her face as she listened to Yvonne’s words.

“There's no point hiding anything. Not from _us_.” Yvonne added, smiling as he looked at her disbelievingly. “So where are the Jones twins?”

“I don’t like this.” Seren whispered, a small frown on her face.

“Me neither.” Jackie muttered.

Seren schooled her features into a pleasant mask, fixing her hair from its disarray due to her impromptu make-out session with the Doctor and squared her shoulders. Siwan dashed to the console to grab her clutch purse before joining the other three at the door.

“Here goes nothing.” Seren said, making sure her drawstring bag was on her wrist before walking out of the TARDIS with a smile on her face, Siwan beside her. They stood beside the Doctor, facing Yvonne and the guards.

“Wow, you two really are identical.” One of the guards exclaimed in shock, looking between the twins with his jaw hanging open.

“Yeah, we get that a lot.” Seren sighed exasperatedly, an uncertain smile playing on her lips. Siwan donned her professional mask, her expression calm and collected despite the emotions raging within her.

“We also know that you are travelling with your god-sister.” Yvonne said, shaking herself out of her amazement and turning back to the Doctor.

“Yes, sorry, good point. She's just a bit shy, that's all.” The Doctor said sheepishly, reaching into through the slightly open TARDIS door and pulling out a startled Jackie. She stood beside him, on the opposite side of the twins. “But here she is – Rose Tyler. The twins’ god-sister.” Seren and Siwan exchanged looks as the Doctor glanced at the older blonde. “Hmm. She’s not the best I've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that…” He mimed talking which earned him a fierce glare from Jackie, giggles from the twins and a chuckle from Yvonne. “And just last week, she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex and aged 57 years.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “But she'll do.”

“I’m 40!” Jackie hissed, glaring up at the Time Lord.

“Deluded.” The Doctor sighed quietly, shaking his head sadly. “Bless.” Seren and Siwan were both giggling madly, their hands covering their mouths to try and muffle the sound lest Jackie turn her furious gaze on them. “I'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone?” He asked Yvonne cheerfully. “She's very good at tea. Well, I say very good, I mean not bad. Well, I say not bad…”

“ _Cariad_ , you’re rambling.” Seren said with a look of fond exasperation on her face.

“Right, sorry. Anyway, allons-y!” The Doctor said cheerfully, wrapping his arm around Seren’s waist and looking at Yvonne. “Lead on. But not too fast, Rose’s ankle's going.”

“I’ll show you where my ankle’s going.” Jackie muttered, glaring at the Doctor as Yvonne led them out of the loading bay.

“And there is also no need to wear your perception filter, Miss. Jones. We know about the shimmering quality of your veins.” Yvonne informed Seren cheerfully as she led the group down the corridor.

Seren exchanged a look with the Doctor and removed her perception filter ring from her right hand, allowing her shimmering skin to be shown. The sight earned her several gasps of surprise and awe from Yvonne and the guards. Seren handed the ring to the Doctor and he tucked it away into his breast-pocket, keeping safe to return to her when the time came.

“You certainly know a lot about us, Miss. Hartman.” Siwan commented with a raised

Yvonne glanced over her shoulder at Siwan, surprised that the Welshwoman knew who she was.

“You know who she is?” The Doctor asked her, only half surprised.

“Yes. She’s Yvonne Hartman, Director of the Torchwood Institute.” Siwan replied simply, rubbing her arms. She silently wished she had thought to bring a shawl because the stone corridors were quite cold and she was wearing a spaghetti strapped gown, leaving her arms bare. “And Captain Cheesecake complains about her all the time.”

Yvonne looked at her in surprise, wondering how Siwan knew about her, and who ‘Captain Cheesecake’ was.

“How do you know that?” Yvonne asked, her surprise evident in her voice.

“She knows everything.” Jackie said with a small grin.

“So where are we, anyway?” Seren asked curiously. “And how do you know so much about us?”

“It was only a matter of time until you found us.” Yvonne said, shaking herself out of her surprise and leading them to the double doors at the end of the corridor. “And at last, you’ve made it! I’d like to welcome you, Doctor, Miss. Jones.” She pushed open the double doors. “Welcome to Torchwood.”

Before them was a massive warehouse area. Jeeps and trucks were being driven around by various personnel transporting crates. And floating near the ceiling, was a massive ship.

“Hold on, ‘Torchwood’ as in ‘Britain’s Worst Kept Secret’ Torchwood?” Seren asked disbelievingly, recognizing the name from all the times Andy and Kathy used to complain whenever they would meet up. “As in the Torchwood with the flashy Captain in the RAF greatcoat and the, as the Cardiff police force so eloquently put it, ‘spooky-do’s’?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.” One of the security guards said with a sheepish expression.

“That’s a Jathaa Sun Glider.” The Doctor said, looking at the floating ship and drawing Seren’s gaze to it.

“It’s beautiful.” Seren breathed, looking up at it in wonder.

“Yes, it is.” Yvonne agreed with a grin to both comments. “It came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands 10 years ago.”

“Did it crash?” Seren asked in concern.

“No, we shot it down.” Yvonne replied, shrugging unconcernedly.

“Why?!” Seren asked incredulously.

“It violated our airspace.” Yvonne replied, shrugging. “Then we stripped it bare.”

“The beams of light that shot down the Sycorax on Christmas Day, that was you.” Seren said in realization, absently reaching out and taking the Doctor’s hand.

Seren, Siwan, the Doctor and Jackie shuddered slightly, remembering the pain the twins had been in, pain so severe that they had partially regenerated in order to survive the feedback. The Doctor put his arm around Seren’s shoulder, holding her close to him, while Jackie reached out and took Siwan’s hand.

“Yes.” Yvonne replied, looking rather gleeful. “Now, if you’d like to come with me. The Torchwood Institute has a motto. ‘If it’s alien, it’s ours’. Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it bare and we use it for the good of the British Empire.”

Siwan grew more and more concerned the more she listened to what Yvonne was saying. This was Torchwood, the same Torchwood that she had been warned about. Adam and Joe had told her everything they knew about Torchwood, which admittedly hadn’t been much except for the fact that it was an organization brought up by Queen Victoria to defend Earth against extra-terrestrial threats. They had also told her that the Watcher Network kept an eye on the organization and inconspicuously steered Immortals away from Torchwood’s hands. It had been a dangerous undertaking, consciously getting involved with the Immortals, but many felt it was worth the risk if it meant keeping the Immortals safe from the curious gaze of Torchwood’s employees – it was the only time the Watchers were actually sanctioned to go against their ‘observe and record only’ rule.

“For the good of the what?” Jackie asked frowning, her expression clearly showing her growing dislike of Yvonne.

“The British Empire.” Yvonne repeated.

“There isn’t a British Empire.” Jackie refuted.

“Not _yet_.” Yvonne said with a secretive grin. “Ah, excuse me…” She took a large gun-like weapon a guard handed to her and showed it to the Doctor. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, do you recognize this, Doctor, Seren?”

“That’s a particle gun.” Seren said, looking at it with a furrowed brow.

“I thought you said that 21st Century humans shouldn’t even know what a particle gun _is_ , let alone have one.” Siwan said with a frown, looking at Seren and the Doctor. She had one hand holding up the folds of her gown so she could walk easily while holding her clutch purse in the other.

“They shouldn’t.” The Doctor confirmed, looking at Yvonne with a frown.

“We must defend our border against the alien.” Yvonne said simply, handing the particle gun to a guard. “Thank you, Sebastian, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The guard, Sebastian, said, taking the particle gun.

“Thank you, Sebastian.” Yvonne said with a smile. She turned to the Doctor, Seren, Siwan and Jackie, “It’s very important to know everyone by name.” She said seriously.

“Yes, you’re quite the _modern_ organization.” Siwan said dryly, successfully managing to keep her disdain masked.

“Let me guess, you’re a ‘people person’?” Seren asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, I am.” Yvonne replied proudly as Jackie rolled her eyes at the woman.

“Have you got anyone called ‘Alonso’?” The Doctor asked curiously.

Seren shook her head exasperatedly while Siwan rolled her eyes.

“I don’t think so.” Yvonne replied with a frown. “Is that important?”

“I suppose not.” The Doctor replied with a sigh.

He caught sight of a pair of black block-like devices in a nearby crate. He picked one up and looked at it.

“Yes, we’re rather fond of these.” Yvonne said with a grin. “The Magnaclamp, found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand.”

“You could also use it to hold on to something.” Siwan remarked thoughtfully.

“That's an imperial ton, by the way.” Yvonne added, nodding at Siwan’s remark. “Torchwood refuses to go metric.”

“Amanda and I could do with that to carry the shopping.” Jackie commented as the Doctor dropped the Magnaclamp back into the crate and brushed his hands, wrapping his arm around Seren’s shoulders.

“I’m sure the guys would be eternally grateful at not having to be your pack mules.” Seren said, giggling lightly.

“All these devices are for _Torchwood's_ benefit, _not_ the general public's.” Yvonne said patronizingly as the Doctor let go of Seren and wandered a few feet away.

Jackie made a face at her while the twins giggled quietly.

“So, what about these ghosts?” The Doctor called, looking through a magnifying glass.

“Ah yes, the ghosts.” Yvonne said with a slightly sheepish expression. “They're uh… what you might call a… side effect.”

“A side effect of what?” Seren asked with a frown, moving around the table to stand beside the Doctor.

“All in good time, Seren.” Yvonne said with a smile. “There is an itinerary, trust me.”

“OI!” Jackie cried, drawing their attention t her. Her gaze was on the TARDIS being moved through the warehouse on a lorry. “Where’re you taking that?”

The Doctor, Seren and Siwan whipped around to look at Yvonne.

“Let me guess, ‘if it’s alien, it’s yours’?” Seren asked, an uncharacteristic sneer on her face as she looked at Yvonne.

“Exactly.” Yvonne replied with a shrug, not fazed by the sneer.

“She’ll _never_ let you inside.” The Doctor said, putting an arm around Seren’s waist and calming her rising emotions.

“Et cetera.” Yvonne scoffed with a smirk, not seeing it as an issue and in full belief that Torchwood would succeed.

As the TARDIS was driven passed, the door opened a crack and Rose peeked through with an uncertain expression.

‘Good luck.’ Seren mouthed, smiling encouragingly to the younger woman.

The Doctor and Siwan nodded at Rose encouragingly. That TARDIS was driven out of sight and the three turned back to Yvonne so as not to draw attention to Rose.

Yvonne led them out of the warehouse and down another corridor, flanked by the armed guards.

“All those times we’ve been on Earth, we’ve ever heard of you.” The Doctor said with a contemplative frown, his arm around Seren’s waist.

“According to Torchwood, you’re an alien so you’re the Enemy.” Siwan informed the Time Lord, wisely not adding herself and Seren as alien since Torchwood thankfully didn’t know about them being reincarnations of Time Ladies. “You and Seren are actually _named_ in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown.”

“1879…” The Doctor said thoughtfully. “That house in Scotland was called Torchwood House.”

“It’s referred to as ‘Torchwood Two’.” Siwan said, nodding. “Remember how you told Queen Victoria that you were married and then you faced the werewolf?” Seren and the Doctor nodded in response. “Well she died believing the two of you were married.”

“I still think you make half of this up.” Jackie remarked, rolling her eyes at Siwan, Seren and the Doctor.

“Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great, and fighting the alien horde.” Yvonne informed the time travellers and Jackie.

Yvonne wondered how Siwan knew so much about Torchwood and who ‘Captain Cheesecake’ was. She could understand having a passing knowledge of Torchwood because, as Seren herself had put it, they really were Britain’s worst kept secret and the twins had grown up in Cardiff where Torchwood Three and the Rift was located.

“Seriously, we’re Enemy Number One?” Seren asked, looking at Siwan incredulously.

“Yup.” Siwan chirped, nodding.

“Hold on, does that mean we’re prisoners?” The Doctor asked in realization.

“He finally realized it.” Seren muttered, face-palming in exasperation as they turned a corner and headed down another corridor. “For such a genius, you can be so dense.”

The Doctor pouted down at Seren and she smiled back. She reached up and pecked his lips lightly before turning back to pay attention to where they were going.

“But we'll make you perfectly comfortable.” Yvonne said reassuringly, smiling at the Doctor who only grimaced at the idea.

“You know… I think we’ve heard of Torchwood before, since we began travelling.” Seren said thoughtfully.

“Really?” The Doctor asked with a frown, not recalling any particular instances.

“Yeah. On the Game Station, there was a question by the Anne Droid where the correct answer was ‘Torchwood’; then there was Zachary on Krop Tor who said he and the crew represented the Torchwood Archive.” Seren replied, nodding.

“Detective Inspector Bishop in 1953 mentioned the possibility of Torchwood swooping in if they couldn’t solve the case.” Siwan added in realization.

“And Elton mentioned the Absorbaloff said that the Bad Wolf virus that erased the files Torchwood had on me, but was able to use them to find you.” The Doctor added in realization, remembering the young man’s story. He looked at Yvonne with a slight smirk, saying, “Seren was right, you really _are_ Britain’s worst kept secret.”

“There is so much you can _teach_ us.” Yvonne said, continuing her earlier comment and ignoring the Doctor’s quip. “Starting with this.”

She flashed her ID card across a digital lock on a pair of black double doors and led the group inside.

The room Yvonne led them into was a wide laboratory, a set of desks on either side of the room with a blank Sphere hanging in mid-air at the far end. Below the Sphere, there was a short step-ladder.

“Rajesh?” Siwan asked disbelievingly, looking at one of the two well-dressed men in lab coats who had turned to them when they entered, the one who looked to be of Indian descent. The Doctor, Seren and Jackie turned to look at the man as Siwan continued to stare at him in disbelief.

“Hi, Siwan.” The handsome man, Rajesh, said with a small smile. His eyes ran up and down the young woman’s figure, taking in her stunning and dolled up appearance. “You look… incredible.”

“Thank you.” Siwan replied with a smile before her expression became disbelieving once more. “You work for _Torchwood_?”

“Yes, I do.” Rajesh replied, nodding.

“Siwan, who is he?” The Doctor asked, moving to stand beside Siwan in a protective manner while Jackie and Seren moved closer to her.

Jackie saw the way Rajesh was looking at Siwan – the same way Adam looked at Siwan, with an expression of love and caring. And she wasn’t the only one if the cool look Seren was giving the scientist was any indication. She also noticed the smirks that Yvonne exchanged with the two guards and the other scientist in the room, apparently Rajesh’s crush on Siwan hadn’t gone unnoticed by his colleagues.

“This is Dr. Rajesh Singh.” Siwan said, taking a calming breath. “Rajesh, this is my sister, Seren, the Doctor and my god-sister, Rose.” She gestured to each person as she introduced them, referring to Jackie as ‘Rose’ to maintain her cover. She turned to her family, explaining, “Rajesh and I had become friends about two years ago, around the time you went on your first trip, Seren.” She turned back to Rajesh, a pleading expression on her face. “Rajesh, please tell me you didn’t become my friend because you wanted to use me to get to Seren and the Doctor.”

“I became your friend because _I_ wanted to, not because Torchwood wanted it.” Rajesh replied firmly, looking Siwan directly in the eyes and trying to convey his honesty.

“Okay, I believe you.” Siwan said with a small smile. She stepped towards him and promptly whacked him in the arm _hard_ with her clutch purse.

“OW!” Rajesh howled, grabbing his arm and looking at her incredulously. “What’d you do that for?!”

The Doctor, Seren and Jackie burst out laughing at Rajesh’s incredulous expression, Yvonne and the guards’ shocked expressions and Siwan’s stony glare.

“ _That_ was for keeping secrets from me about our friendship.” Siwan growled before closing the distance between them and hugging him tightly. She pulled away and stepped back after a few seconds. “And _that_ was for being my friend because _you_ wanted to be and not because Torchwood wanted you to be.”

“Now, what do you make of _that_?” Yvonne asked nodding to the Sphere and turning their attention to it.

The Doctor, Seren and Siwan gazed at the Sphere, their mouths dropping open. The twins subconsciously wrapped their arms around themselves, feeling incredibly unnerved by it.

“What _is_ that thing?” Jackie asked, her discomfort evident in her voice.

“We got no idea.” Yvonne admitted.

“But what’s wrong with it?” Jackie asked with a frown.

“What makes you think something’s wrong with it?” Rajesh asked, him and Yvonne turning to look at Jackie curiously.

“I dunno.” Jackie said, shrugging. “It just… feels weird.”

“The Sphere has that effect on everyone.” Yvonne explained as the Doctor bounded up the steps of the ladder to look closer at the Sphere. “Makes you want to run and hide, like it's forbidden.”

Seren went up the ladder as well and stood beside the Doctor, looking up at the Sphere.

“Have you analysed it in any way?” Siwan asked absently.

“Yeah, using every device imaginable.” Rajesh replied with a sigh as the Doctor pulled out a pair of 3D glasses and put them on, not tearing his gaze away from the Sphere. “But according to our instruments, the Sphere doesn’t exist. It weighs nothing, it doesn’t age. No heat, no radiation, and no atomic mass.”

“But I can _see_ it.” Jackie argued.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Rajesh asked as Siwan turned to look at him. “It upsets people, because it gives off… nothing. It’s absent.”

“Well, Doctor, Seren?” Yvonne asked, looking at the couple who hadn’t looked away from the Sphere.

“This is a Void Ship.” The Doctor said with a sigh, turning around and moving to sit on the top step of the ladder.

“I thought that was supposed to be impossible!” Seren exclaimed in surprise.

“And what is that?” Yvonne asked as Seren sat down beside the Doctor on the ladder.

“I always thought it was just a theory.” The Doctor said, removing his glasses and pocketing them.

“What _is_ it?” Siwan asked before the couple could get side-tracked with the impossibility of the Sphere.

“Basically, it’s a vessel designed to exist outside time and space, travelling through the Void.” Seren explained, interlocking her fingers with the Doctor’s.

“And what’s the Void?” Rajesh asked, looking at the couple.

“The space between dimensions.” Siwan replied, remembering what Seren and the Doctor told her about how Mickey was alive but they were unable to sense him because he was in another Universe.

Rajesh and Yvonne exchanged confused looks.

“What d’you mean, ‘dimensions’?” Jackie asked, having been at work when the Doctor and Seren had been explaining about the Universes and the dimensions to Siwan and Adam, and to an extent, Rose as well.

“There’s all sorts of realities around us.” The Doctor began.

“Different dimensions.” Seren added.

“Billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other.”

“The Void is the space in between, containing absolutely nothing.”

“Can you imagine that? Nothing.”

“No light, no dark.”

“No up, no down.”

“No life, no time. Without end.”

“My people called it the Void, the Eternals call it the Howling.”

“But some people call it Hell or the Abyss.” Seren finished.

Yvonne and Rajesh stared at the Doctor and Seren open-mouthed

“Do they-” Rajesh started after a few seconds, blinking rapidly and shaking himself out of his stupor.

“Finish each other’s sentences often?” Siwan finished with a knowing and exasperated expression. “Oh, yeah.” Her expression changed to one of confusion and curiosity. “We can all agree that it exists, even if no instrument can detect it. That means someone had to have built the thing in the first place. So, for what? And, you know, why?”

“Could it be to go into the Void?” Rajesh asked in suggestion.

“Okay, but why in Arawn’s name would anyone _want_ to go into the Void?” Siwan asked.

“To explore? To escape?” The Doctor suggested, shrugging. “You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by.”

“The Big Bang, the end of the Universe, the start of the next.” Seren said.

“It wouldn't even touch the sides.”

“You would exist outside the whole of creation.”

“You see, we were right.” Yvonne said gleefully, looking at Rajesh. This time, none of them were fazed by the Doctor and Seren finishing each other’s sentences. “There is something inside it.”

“Oh, yes.” The Doctor confirmed with a heavy sigh.

“So, how do we get in there?” Rajesh asked.

“We don’t.” The Doctor said vehemently, standing suddenly and leaping off the ladder. “We send that thing back into Hell!”

“How did it get here in the first place?” Seren asked in a much calmer tone, stepping off the ladder as well and moving to stand beside the Doctor, putting a calming hand on his arm.

“Well, that’s how it all started.” Yvonne said. “The Sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake.”

“Can you show us, please?” Seren asked, looking at Yvonne.

The Doctor didn’t wait for a response and strode off with Seren following. Siwan, Jackie, Yvonne and Rajesh exchanged looks before the three women and the guards hurried behind the couple.

“No, Doctor!” Yvonne called as the Doctor turned left outside the laboratory.

The Doctor turned and walked back in the right direction, stopping by the laboratory door to take Seren’s hand. He interlocked their fingers as he led the group through the maze of corridors with Yvonne correcting his directions every other minute.

The following ten minutes were spent walking through the corridors, taking a lift to the highest floor and walking through another maze of corridors before finally reaching the Lever room where the Sphere first came through.

“The Sphere came through here, a hole in the world.” Yvonne said, leading the Doctor and the twins to an expanse of white wall and pointing to it. The Doctor ran his hand over it while Seren and Siwan touched it gently. “Not active at the moment, but when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breach opens up.”

“How did you even find it?” The Doctor asked, looking at the blonde woman with a frown.

“We were getting warning signs for years, a radar black spot.” Yvonne replied. “So we built this place, Torchwood Tower. The breach was 600 feet above sea level, it was on the only way to reach it.”

“You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance?” The Doctor asked incredulously, putting his 3D glasses back on. “How much money have you got?”

“Enough.” Yvonne said with a dismissive shrug, moving back towards her office.

Seren and the Doctor looked at the breach contemplatively with matching frowns on their faces.

“Torchwood employees are paid by the Crown.” Siwan explained to the Doctor before turning around and walking towards Yvonne’s office where Jackie was. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a pretty, dark-skinned woman sitting at one of the desks. Raising an eyebrow, she moved towards the dark-skinned woman and asked in surprise, “Adeola?”

“Siwan, I had heard that you were in the Tower.” The woman, Adeola, said, getting to her feet and moving around the desk to stand in front of the Welshwoman. “You look breathtaking.”

“Thank you.” Siwan said with a smile before it turned into a frown, her expression conveying a mix of surprise and confusion as she asked, “You work for Torchwood as well?”

“Yes, I have for a few years now.” Adeola replied, nodding.

Siwan looked at the older woman, feeling an unexplainable chill crawl up her spine at the sight of the almost _blank_ look in Adeola’s normally playful dark eyes. She smiled at the older woman, holding back the shudders that threatened to escape her, and walked away, heading towards Yvonne’s office where Jackie was looking out of the large window across from Yvonne’s desk.

As she crossed the short distance, she saw and recognized two well-dressed men seated at separate stations on the opposite side of the aisle, one behind the other. Matt and Gareth.

“Hold on a minute.” Jackie called as Yvonne entered the office. “We’re in Canary Wharf. Must be.” She turned away from the window and looked at Yvonne. “This building, it’s Canary Wharf!”

“Well, that is the _public_ name for it. But to those in the know, it's Torchwood.” Yvonne explained.

“Okay, I just saw three more people I know and who are friends of mine. They’re members of Torchwood as well.” Siwan said, gesturing to the three agents who were focused on the computer screens in front of them. She looked at Yvonne with a raised eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest as Seren and the Doctor joined them in the office. “That is way too many people to be a coincidence.”

“We have tried repeatedly over the years to get you to join Torchwood.” Yvonne explained with a slightly sheepish expression. “We had gone so far as to replace the support staff you had regular contact with at the University you attended and the Hospital you worked at with Torchwood agents.”

“WHAT?!” Siwan, Seren, the Doctor and Jackie shouted in unison, staring at Yvonne in complete shock.

“You had no idea about the change since it had been discrete, but you made friends with each of the agents we put in place. Addy, Matt, Gareth, Lisa, every one of them. I had hoped that the friendships would encourage you to join, but instead you were happy with the job you had at the hospital.”

“Why me?” Siwan asked, completely confused. “I know I managed to achieve something that not many people can achieve, especially in such a short time, but there are plenty of people in the world who are far more qualified than me.”

“Honestly, it was because of your accent.” Yvonne said, looking uncomfortable.

The Doctor, Seren and Jackie’s jaws dropped in shock while Siwan cocked her head to the side, not understanding.

“What does my accent have to do with anything?” Siwan asked clueless, frowning slightly.

“I liked your beautiful Welsh vowels.” Yvonne admitted, looking very uncomfortable.

“You tried to hire my god-d- _sister_ \- into your organization because you liked her _voice_?!” Jackie shrieked furiously, glaring at the other blonde woman fiercely and moving to stand protectively in front of Siwan. Thankfully, she remembered at the last second what their cover was and didn’t reveal that Siwan was her god-daughter.

“Seriously?” Siwan asked, stunned as she looked at Yvonne from around Jackie’s larger frame.

Yvonne shrugged helplessly and leaned back away from Jackie who unleashed a tirade of fury that had, once upon a time, rivalled that of Glenda Jones.

The staff members in the Lever room looked towards Yvonne’s office when they heard Jackie shouting and found, to their great surprise, that their boss was actually leaning _away_ from the furious, yelling woman.

“We should calm her down.” Seren said softly, staring wide-eyed at Jackie.

“Yeah, we really should.” The Doctor agreed numbly, staring at Jackie with a gobsmacked expression.

Neither made a move to calm the furious, protective woman down.

“Uh, Rose, I think she got the idea that trying to hire me was a very bad plan.” Siwan said, deciding to take the plunge and try to calm her god-mother down, putting a calming hand on the furious blonde in front of her.

Jackie stopped shouting when she heard Siwan’s comment, but levelled a glare at Yvonne that could freeze Hell itself.

The staff in the Lever room returned to their tasks, but most couldn’t help the small smiles that crossed their faces at the expression on Yvonne’s face when Jackie had yelled at her.

“So, you find the breach, probe it, the Sphere comes through.” The Doctor said, bringing everyone’s attention back to the breach and leaning against the doorframe.

“600 feet above the city, bam! It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality.” Seren continued, perching on the corner of Yvonne’s desk while Siwan sat on a chair by her legs.

“That hole, you think, ‘oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe’?” The Doctor continued with a hint of sarcasm. “‘Nah’, you think, ‘let’s make it _BIGGER’_!”

“It’s a massive source of _energy_!” Yvonne argued defensively, regaining her equilibrium after Jackie’s tirade and looking at Seren and the Doctor. “If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will truly become independent.” She glanced at her watch before looking back at the Doctor and Seren, in particular. “But you can see for yourself. The next Ghost Shift is in two minutes.”

“Cancel it.” The Doctor said as Yvonne walked out of the office.

“I don’t think so.” Yvonne said, not looking at him or breaking her stride across the lever room.

“I’m warning you, cancel it.” The Doctor growled, stalking towards the blonde woman.

“Oh, exactly as the legends would have it.” Yvonne said, spinning around to face them. “The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the Rights of Man.”

“Here, let me show you.” Seren said, the Doctor silently handing her the sonic screwdriver. She stood in front of the glass wall partitioning Yvonne’s office from the Lever room and pointed the sonic at it. “The Sphere comes through,” she flashed the sonic at the glass, making a small hole in one of the Torchwood ‘O’s’. The glass splintered and cracked, extending outwards from the initial hole that was made. “When it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And _that's_ how the ghosts get through. _That's_ how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours.”

“With the human race hoping and wishing and helping them along.” The Doctor added.

“But too many ghosts, and…” Seren continued, trailing off and tapping the glass in lieu of using words.

The glass partition shattered completely, falling to the floor in a shower of tiny shards.

Yvonne looked at the mess of glass with an unamused expression on her face.

“Well, in that case. We’ll have to be more careful.” Yvonne said dismissively, turning to address her staff. “Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute.”

“Miss. Hartman, please.” Siwan pleaded. “Please don’t do this.”

“We have done this a thousand times.” Yvonne argued exasperatedly, spinning around again to look at the time travellers.

“Then stop, at a thousand!” The Doctor yelled frustrated, stepping forward to stand directly in front of Yvonne.

“We’re in control of the ghosts.” Yvonne continued arguing. “The levers can open the breach, but, equally, they can close it.”

Yvonne and the Doctor stared at each other, a battle of will silently taking place between the Director and the Time Lord. The tension in the room surrounded them, thick enough to slice with a dull-bladed knife.

Everyone watched the two with baited breath, wondering who would win.

“Okay.” The Doctor said suddenly, breaking eye contact with Yvonne and turning away from her.

“Sorry?!” Yvonne asked startled at the sudden change in demeanour, watching him go into her office and pull out two chairs.

Jackie and Siwan exchanged equally confused and shocked looks, wondering why the Doctor seemed to have given up so quickly. Seren raised her eyebrow at him, wondering what her beloved was up to.

“Never mind! As you were.” The Doctor said nonchalantly, pulling a chair from Yvonne’s office.

“What, is that it?” Yvonne asked surprised.

“No, fair enough.” The Doctor said, sitting on the chair and making himself comfortable. “Said my bit. Don't mind me! Any chance of a cup of tea?”

“Ghost Shift in 20 seconds.” Adeola said in a monotone voice, so different from the voice she had used earlier when speaking with Siwan.

“Mmm! Can’t _wait_ to see it!” The Doctor said with mocking enthusiasm.

“You can’t stop us, Doctor.” Yvonne told him warningly.

“No, absolutely not.” The Doctor said seriously, gently tugging Seren’s arm and pulling her down to sit on his lap. Seren put her arm around the back of the Doctor’s neck while he kept a firm hold on her waist. “Pull up a chair, Rose, Siwan. Come and watch the fireworks.”

Jackie and Siwan both stepped forward, standing on either side of the couple and showing a united front as they looked at Yvonne.

“Ghost Shift in 10 seconds.” Adeola said.” 9, 8, 7, 6,” Yvonne and the Doctor stared at each other, resuming their previous battle of will. “5, 4, 3, 2-”

“Stop the Shift!” Yvonne ordered suddenly, cutting Adeola off just before she could say the final number. She broke the staring contest with the Doctor and glanced at Adeola. “I said stop.”

“Thank you.” Seren said sincerely, rising to her feet though the Doctor still had a hold of her waist.

“I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible. But the programme will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything.” Yvonne said, trying not to think about how she had given in to the time travellers.

“We’re glad to be of help.” Seren chirped, smiling cheerfully.

“Actually, I would like to go back down to the Sphere room.” Siwan said, making Yvonne look at her. “I’d like to talk to Rajesh, it _has_ been a while since I was able to meet up with him. Even before I began travelling.”

“All right.” Yvonne said, nodding. She turned and looked towards one of the scientists. “Andrew, can you take Dr. Jones down to the Sphere room please?”

“Sure.” Andrew replied, handing the board he was holding to another scientist. He looked at Siwan. “If you would follow me, please, Dr. Jones.”

“Thank you.” Siwan said to Yvonne with a bright smile that lit up her face.

“Text me when you make it downstairs.” Seren said.

“’Kay.” Siwan replied before following the scientist out of the Lever Room, clutch purse in hand.

“And someone clean up this glass.” Yvonne ordered to the remaining staff in the room. “They did warn me Doctor. They said that you like to make a mess.”

“That he does.” Seren muttered, nodding in agreement as Yvonne led them into her office.

Jackie snorted under her breath while the Doctor pouted at Seren. Seren shook her head and pecked him lightly on the lips, erasing the pout and replacing it with a wide grin.

“Now that Siwan isn’t here, did either of you notice the looks that Rajesh was giving her?” Jackie asked, looking at the Doctor and Seren.

“Oh, yeah.” Seren replied, nodding.

“What look?” The Doctor asked, clueless.

“Rajesh has been in love with Siwan for ages.” Yvonne explained to the oblivious Time Lord with a wide smirk on her face, sitting down behind her desk and opening her laptop.

“What?!” He exclaimed in shock, his jaw dropping open.

“Mmm-hmm. He looks at her the same way Adam does.” Seren confirmed, nodding.

“I need to sit down.” The Doctor said, looking incredibly faint at the news and sitting down on a chair across from Yvonne.

Seren didn’t blame him. The last thing any father wanted to know was that there was a man who held a candle for his daughter, especially when said daughter was already completely in love with someone else and that it was reciprocated. It didn’t matter that Siwan wasn’t Aludra per se, the Doctor still occasionally saw her as a daughter; though, at the moment, he saw her as more of a younger sister than a daughter because of both their lack of complete memories.

“So these ghosts, whatever they are, did _they_ build the Sphere?” Yvonne asked, bringing them back onto the topic at hand.

“Must have. Aimed it at this dimension like a cannonball.” The Doctor replied with a shrug, deciding to focus on something _other_ than someone other than Adam in love with his reincarnated daughter.

He made himself comfortable on a chair across the table from Yvonne, looking completely relaxed, and pulled Seren onto his lap. Jackie leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

Seren’s mobile beeped with an incoming alert and she fished it out of her purse to look at it. Opening the messaging centre and looking at the text, she managed to conceal her surprise at what was written.

_‘Reached the Sphere Room. Rose is down here, too. Andrew is on his way back up.'_

“Siwan’s reached the Sphere room.” She informed Jackie and the Doctor, showing them the text and letting them know that Rose was down there as well.

_‘Try to act as though you don’t know her for as long as possible.’_ Seren messaged back. _‘Break cover only if the two of you are in danger.’_

_‘Okay. Be safe.’_ Siwan messaged her before falling silent completely.

“And Andrew is on his way back up.” Seren added, glancing at Yvonne before closing the messaging centre and locking her mobile, putting it back in her purse.

Yvonne nodded in understanding just as her laptop beeped and she looked at it.

_“Yvonne?”_ Rajesh’s voice called through a video link window that appeared on the screen. _“I think you should see this. We’ve got a visitor other than Siwan down here. We don’t know who she is and neither does Siwan. But funnily enough, she arrived at the same time as the Doctor and the twins.”_

Seren and the Doctor gave tiny, imperceptible smirks before schooling their features back into innocent expressions.

Yvonne turned the laptop around so that the Doctor and Seren could look at the screen. Rose and Rajesh were beside each other on the screen, with Siwan in the background.

“She one of yours?” Yvonne asked.

“Never seen her before in my life.” The Doctor said, shaking his head unconcernedly.

"Nope.” Seren said in agreement, popping the ‘p’.

“Good! Then we can have her shot.” Yvonne said cheerfully.

Jackie gasped, fearful for her daughter’s safety.

_“You so much as consider it, and you’ll have me to deal with.”_ Siwan growled protectively, leaning over Rajesh and Rose’s hunched shoulders to look at Yvonne through the video screen.

Yvonne raised her eyebrow at the protectiveness the Welshwoman showed for someone she supposedly didn’t know. She was well aware of the younger woman’s athletic and combat prowess, another reason she had wanted to hire her. She also knew that Siwan wouldn’t be hindered in anyway by her elegant evening attire, instead using it to her advantage in ways no one would be able to imagine or predict.

“Oh, alright then.” The Doctor said with a sigh, straightening up from his relaxed posture. Seren straightened up as well, but stayed where she was on his lap, with one arm around his neck for support. “It was worth a try.”

“ _That’s_ my god-sister, Rose.” Seren said, nodding at the screen that still showed Rose and Rajesh.

_“Sorry.”_ Rose said sheepishly before waving and adding with a small smile, _“Hello!”_

“Hi, sweetie.” Seren said, waving back.

“Well, if that’s Rose,” Yvonne said pointing to the screen before looking at Jackie and asking, “then who’s she?”

“I’m her mother and the twins’ god-mother.” Jackie said proudly, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Yvonne.

“Oh, you travel with the twins’ god-mother?” Yvonne asked the Doctor with a raised eyebrow, a smirk on her face.

“He kidnapped me.” Jackie snapped, holding firmly to her belief of being kidnapped.

“Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people I travelled through time and space with their _god-mother_.” The Doctor asked sheepishly.

“Oh, charming!” Jackie snapped, glaring at him affronted.

Yvonne gave a short laugh while Seren giggled at the Time Lord’s pleading expression ad Jackie’s affronted one.

“I’ve got a reputation to uphold!” The Doctor countered defensively to Jackie.

The sound of the Ghost Shift’s particle engines powering up reached them and Seren tensed, an unexplainable shiver of fear running down her spine. The Doctor looked at her in concern.

“What is it?” The Doctor asked her quietly as Yvonne rose to her feet and walked to the doorway of her office.

“I don’t know.” Seren said, her voice equally quiet as she took his hand and held it tightly. “I suddenly have a really bad feeling.”

“Excuse me, everyone? I thought I said stop the Ghost Shift.” Yvonne called to her staff before the Doctor could respond to Seren’s fearful comment. Adeola, Matt and Gareth ignored her, staring straight at their screens as they continued typing rapidly. "Who started the program? But…I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that?" Yvonne pointed at the levers that controlled the particle engines, the levers that were moving by themselves. “Step away from the monitors, everyone!” Everyone followed the order except for Adeola, Matt and Gareth who continued typing. “Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing, right now! Matt, step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers! Andrew!”

Andrew and another scientist ran to each of the levers and frantically struggled to stop them from completing their 180 circuit.

The Doctor, Seren and Jackie stood in the doorway of Yvonne’s office and watched as the Director frantically tried to regain control of her staff members.

“What’s _she_ doing?” The Doctor asked with a frown, rushing over to Addy and looking at her screen.

“Matt and Gareth’s screens are identical, filled with code.” Seren said, moving to stand between the two men’s desks and look at each of their screens.

Seren waved her hand in front of Gareth’s face but received no reaction of any kind, not even a tilt of the head to see the screen better. The man wasn’t even blinking and neither was Matt.

“Addy, step away from the desk!” Yvonne ordered, her and Jackie joining the Doctor by the younger woman’s desk. Listen to me, step away from the desk!”

“Yvonne, they can’t hear you.” Seren said, shaking her head and crouching by Gareth’s desk and looked at the code, trying to figure out what they were doing. “The code is an override."

“Of what?” Jackie asked, looking between Seren and the Doctor fearfully.

“The system.” Seren replied, looking at Gareth’s screen with a frown. “They’re overriding the system.”

“We’re going into Ghost Shift.” The Doctor said ominously, looking towards the breach at the far wall.

Yvonne, Jackie and Seren looked at the wall as well, seeing the lights brighten considerably.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Mickey and Rose 

Rajesh looked over his shoulder at Siwan, a frown on his face when he saw the alert on his laptop screen.

“I thought you said Yvonne cancelled the next Ghost Shift.” The scientist said in confusion.

“She did.” Siwan said, an equally confused expression on her face.

Mickey glanced over his shoulder at Rajesh, still ‘checking’ the locks.

When Siwan had seen him after entering the chamber, he had managed to gesture to her to remain silent before she could accidentally blow his cover. She gave him a questioning look before innocently asking his name and what he was working on, maintaining his cover.

“Yvonne?” Rajesh called into his comm., a hand to his ear. “What’s going on?” He frowned when he didn’t get a reply. “Yvonne?”

The entire chamber shuddered violently and suddenly, the Sphere’s readouts going wild with data that hadn’t been registered before.

“I thought you said that the instruments can’t register the Sphere’s data.” Siwan said, running to one of the instruments and looking at the readouts.

“They _can’t_.” Rajesh insisted, he and Mickey running over to her and looking at the readouts over her shoulder. “It _can’t_ be…” He breathed in shock, turning to look at the Sphere.

“According to these readouts, the Sphere’s active.” Siwan said, shuddering as an unexplainable feeling of fear running down her spine.

Rose hurried to them, slipping in between Mickey and Siwan as they all stared at the Sphere in equal shock.

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie 

A blinking light caught Seren’s attention and she turned towards it, seeing the Bluetooth pieces attached to Matt and Gareth’s ears, _both_ ears. Looking over at Adeola, she saw that the dark-skinned woman also had Bluetooth pieces attached to _both_ her ears.

Seren’s bad feeling began to get stronger, her stomach feeling as though it were in knots.

“Um, this is going to sound like a really dumb question, but I thought Bluetooth pieces are meant to be attached to only _one_ ear.” Seren said with trepidation, eyeing the earpieces warily.

“They are.” Yvonne replied, confused to why it was pointed out until she looked at Adeola’s ears and noticed that the younger woman had an earpiece attached to _both_ ears.

“It’s the earpieces.” The Doctor said in dawning comprehension, his hearts filling with despair. “We’ve seen this before.” He moved to stand behind Adeola, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. “Sorry, I’m so sorry.”

He zapped one of the ear pieces and Adeola screamed in agony, Matt and Gareth screaming as well. Seren winced at the sudden pain that battered against her mental shields, gripping Gareth’s desk to keep herself upright. She breathed slowly, hearing Idris’ soothing song at the back of her mind, helping her maintain the shields.

It lasted only for a few seconds, though it felt like an eternity, until Adeola, Matt and Gareth slumped over their keyboards.

“What happened? What did you just do?” Yvonne asked frantically as the Doctor gently pulled the keyboard from under Adeola’s head and began typing frantically.

“They’re dead.” Seren said softly, panting lightly.

“Seren, are you okay?” Jackie asked in concern, seeing the pained expression on her god-daughter’s face and hurrying towards her.

“I’m alright, Aunt Jackie.” Seren said reassuringly, squeezing the older woman’s hand briefly before tugging Gareth’s keyboard from under him and beginning to type just as rapidly as the Doctor was. “The feedback was quite sudden, but my shields held.”

Jackie nodded in acceptance but stayed beside Seren, turning to look at the Doctor.

“You _killed_ them!” Jackie accused, taking what she had seen at face-value.

“Aunt Jackie, someone else did that long before we arrived.” Seren said softly, telling the truth and also defending her beloved.

“But, Seren, he _killed_ them!” Jackie exclaimed, not understanding the complexity of the Universe.

“Jackie, we haven’t got time for this!” The Doctor shouted angrily before Seren could say anything.

“What are those ear pieces?” Yvonne asked, noticing that they were the standard Torchwood issue comm devices.

“Don’t.” The Doctor said with a hint of warning in his tone, not pausing his rapid typing.

“But they’re standard comms devices.” Yvonne protested. “How does it control them?”

“Trust us, leave them alone.” Seren said with a note of sadness in her voice, not pausing her rapid typing.

“But what are they?” Yvonne asked.

Before the Doctor or Seren could stop her, Yvonne grabbed one of Adeola’s earpieces and pulled… pulling out a trail of brain tissue as well.

“Ugh! Oh God!” Yvonne exclaimed in horror and disgust, nearly gagging as she dropped the earpiece onto the table and frantically wiped her hand on her skirt. “It goes inside their _brain_!”

“Yvonne, what about the Ghost Shift?” The Doctor asked, trying to get the woman to focus.

“90% and still running.” Yvonne replied, glancing between the levers and Adeola’s screen. She pushed back her horror so she could do her job, deciding to freak out after the world was safe. “Can’t you stop it?”

“They’re still controlling it.” Seren replied, shaking her head. “They’ve hijacked the system.”

“Who’s they?” Yvonne asked, fear seeping into her voice.

“It might be remote transmitter, but it’s got to be close by. I can trace it.” The Doctor said, pulling his sonic out and using it to scan the room.

Getting a reading from the sonic, he darted out of the room.

“Aunt Jackie, stay here!” Seren called over her shoulder as she grabbed her drawstring bag and followed the Doctor out of the room. She was out of sight before the older woman could respond.

“Keep those levers down!” Yvonne ordered as she ran after the Doctor and Seren. “Keep them offline!”

Within seconds Yvonne was out of sight as well and Jackie sat down on a vacant chair. She felt numb and boneless, tidal waves of fear and worry crashing over her and coursing through her. She wasn’t ashamed to admit or show that she was afraid, afraid for her babies and for herself.

_‘Please let them be safe.’_ She pleaded with the Universe silently.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Mickey and Rose

Siwan ran to a screen that monitored the Sphere’s readouts.

“We've got a problem down here.” Rajesh said into his comm unit, still beside Rose and Mickey, looking up at the Sphere as the room trembled around them. “Yvonne, can you hear me?”

The Sphere’s trembling became more and more violent as the tense seconds passed.

“The Sphere now has weight, mass and an electromagnetic field!” Siwan called over the rumbling, holding onto the table beside the monitor to keep from stumbling.

“Yvonne, the Sphere exists!” Rajesh yelled into his comm, frantic and alarmed. He shook his head and looked over at Siwan, “Still no response from Yvonne.”

“Siwan, I’m scared.” Rose whimpered, clinging to Mickey and glancing at the older woman.

Mickey tightened his hold on Rose comfortingly, his gaze never moving from the Sphere.

“I know, _Cariad,_ I know.” Siwan said soothingly, carefully moving towards the blonde and taking her hand. “Seren, Aunt Jackie and the Doctor are still alive. We would know if they weren’t.”

A resounding ‘Clunk! Thump!’ echoed in the room.

“What was that?” Rose asked fearfully, clinging to Siwan and Mickey’s hands.

“The door’s sealed.” Rajesh replied, terrified but able to maintain his composure for the time being. “It’s an automatic quarantine.”

“We can’t get out?!” Rose exclaimed in terror, her eyes wide.

“Rose, Rose.” Siwan said in a firm voice, making the blonde look at her. “You need to stay calm, okay Flower? Panicking is not going to help any of us.” Rose nodded, taking a few deep breaths. “You were brilliant this entire time, trying to find out what was going on so we could figure a way out. I need you to hold onto that courage, that bravery, just a little longer, okay? Can you do that for me, _Cariad_?”

“Yeah.” Rose said nodding, squaring her shoulders as a determined light shone in her eyes.

Mickey watched as Siwan calmed Rose down expertly while at the same time lighting a fire of determination in the blonde. He marvelled at how much Rose had changed since he had last seen her. Gone was the girl who clung to the twins and in her place was a strong woman who wasn’t afraid to fight despite her fear.

True, Rose was terrified, but the fact was that even he himself was, as was Rajesh and Siwan. They would be complete idiots if they weren’t afraid on some level. However, except for Rose, they were able to push past their fear to do what they had to.

“Don’t worry, babe.” Mickey added reassuringly, making Rose and Siwan look at him. “We’ve beaten them before, we can beat them again. That’s why I’m here. The fight goes on, yeah?”

“The fight against what?” Rose asked, pushing her fear aside to focus on the task at hand.

“What do you think?” Mickey asked in response, half rhetoric.

~*~*~*~

With Seren and the Doctor 

Seren and Yvonne followed the Doctor closely down the endless corridors, the Time Lord still tracking the signal. They turned a corner and passed two soldiers headed in the opposite direction.

“You two, come with us.” Yvonne said to the two soldiers before they could turn the corner.

“Yes, Ma’am.” One of the soldiers replied, changing directions and taking the rear point of the group.

The Doctor didn’t seem to have noticed the two soldiers they picked up, focused entirely on tracking the signal. He led them to an unoccupied corridor that had sheets of plastic hanging from the ceiling, cording off the entrance as well.

“What’s down here?” Seren asked, seeing the sonic beep rapidly.

“I don’t – I don’t know.” Yvonne stammered in reply. “I think it’s building work, just renovations."

“You should go back.” The Doctor said to the blonde.

“Think again.” Yvonne said with a scoff.

The Doctor cautiously stepped through the plastic curtains with Seren directly behind him. Yvonne gestured to the two soldiers to come with them as she followed the Doctor and Seren. They passed through several plastic curtain following the beeping screwdriver until it began beeping rapidly, the small blue orb at the top blinking at the same pace.

The Doctor and Seren stopped walking and looked at the screwdriver. Seren had a frown on her face, her stomach feeling as though it were tied up in knots.

“What is it?” Yvonne asked, stopping behind the Doctor with Seren on his other side. “What’s down here?”

“You’re thinking what I’m thinking, aren’t you?” Seren said softly, looking up at the Time Lord.

“Earpieces, Ear Pods, this world’s colliding with another.” The Doctor said darkly, nodding in response to Seren’s question.

“And we might know which one.” Seren said.

Several figures appeared behind the curtains, figures that looked hauntingly familiar to Seren and the Doctor.

“What are they?” Yvonne asked, seeing the blurry figures through the plastic and taking an involuntary step back.

“They’re the advanced guard, the ones that came through first.” Seren replied with a slight tremor in her voice, taking the Doctor’s free hand and held it tightly, her heart racing frantically.

The figures raised their hands and cut the plastic curtains, stepping through to face the group.

“Cybermen!” The Doctor said, identifying the figures.

The soldiers automatically began firing their guns to try and give the Doctor, Yvonne and Seren a chance to run. But it was too late. The group was surrounded by metal men.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Mickey and Rose 

“We had them beaten, but then they escaped.” Mickey began to explain as another crash emitted from the Sphere. “The Cybermen just vanished. They found a way through to this world, but so did we.”

“Seren and the Doctor said that was impossible.” Rose said, completely baffled.

“Yeah, well, it’s not the first time the Doctor’s been wrong.” Mickey said with a shrug, looking up at the Sphere as another crash sounded.

“Fair point.” Siwan muttered. “When did you manage to come through?”

“About a month and a half ago.” Mickey replied. “Just after the ghosts began appearing in this world.”

“That would explain why Seren and I didn’t sense your return.” Siwan said speculatively. “I began travelling just after my graduation.”

“Yeah, I heard about you receiving your Doctorate, _Doctor_ Jones.” Mickey said, grinning at the suddenly bashful Welshwoman. “Congratulations.”

Rajesh watched the interaction between ‘Samuel’, Rose and Siwan, wondering how they knew each other. There was also a part of him that wondered how Siwan was able to stay so calm, though he was grateful for it since it kept him calm as well.

“What’s inside the Sphere?” Rose asked, looking up at the still-trembling Sphere.

“No one knows.” Mickey admitted with a shrug. “Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen. Whatever it is, he’s dead meat.”

“It’s so good to see you.” Rose said earnestly, smiling up at her ex-boyfriend-turned-best-friend.

“Yeah! It’s good to see you, too.” Mickey said, smiling at the women.

They stumbled slightly before regaining their footing when the Sphere trembled again, violently.

~*~*~*~

With Seren and the Doctor 

Seren, the Doctor and Yvonne, with their hands behind their heads, were escorted back into the Lever room by the Cybermen advanced guard.

“Seren!” Jackie exclaimed in alarm when she saw them, rising to her feet.

“Get away from the machines!” The Doctor ordered firmly to the staff as Jackie stepped towards Seren. “Do what they say! Don't fight them!”

The staff members looked at each other uncertainly as the Cybermen activated their arm guns and shot the two scientists that were struggling to hold back the levers. The scientists arched backwards for a few seconds before slumping to the floor, unmoving, dead.

Yvonne made to move towards them but Seren grabbed her arm, keeping her from becoming a target as well. Yvonne covered her mouth in shock and fear, sorrow filling her for the innocent people that had just been killed.

“What are they?” Jackie asked fearfully, looking up at the Doctor.

“We are the Cybermen.” A Cyberman said in a mechanical voice, turning to face Jackie. It turned back to face the room at large. “The Ghost Shift will be increased to 100%.”

_“Online.”_ The computer announced.

“Here come the ghosts.” The Doctor said gravely, looking at the blank space of wall were the breach was located.

The light brightened as the shadowy images began to appear all around the world. No one thought much of it, believing it to be the same as always.

Everyone shielded their eyes against the bright light and watched with growing trepidation. The shadowy figures appeared in the Lever room as well, marching in a military formation.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Mickey and Rose 

The Sphere continued to tremble, shaking the room.

“Can anyone hear me?” Rajesh asked into the comm, trying again to establish a connection to the Lever room. “Come on, I need help down here! I need-” He cut himself off when the Sphere suddenly stilled.

“Oh, that can’t be good.” Siwan muttered as Rajesh hurried towards her, Rose and Mickey.

Mickey removed his earpiece and lab coat, revealing the form-fitting dark grey body top underneath.

“Have you been working out?” Siwan asked in amazement, looking at Mickey’s well-muscled form.

“Yes, I have.” Mickey replied, the smug expression on his face causing Rose and Siwan to roll their eyes.

“Oi, you’re dating Adam.” Rose reminded Siwan with a pointed look.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t window shop.” Siwan replied breezily.

“Here we go.” Mickey said, ignoring them and turning his attention back to the Sphere.

They all stared at the Sphere, Rajesh putting his glasses back on, as it began to emit a high-pitched noise, a crack appearing along its diameter. It began to inch open, a light emanating from within.

~*~*~*~

With Seren and the Doctor 

“But these Zybermen, what’ve they got to do with the ghosts?” Jackie asked quietly.

“Remember Aunt Jackie, a footprint doesn’t always look like a boot.” Seren reminded Jackie gently before the Doctor could say anything and likely snap at the blonde in the process.

“Achieving full transfer.” A Cyberman said.

“All of the ghosts are Cybermen.” Seren explained.

The Cybermen slowly began to solidify, becoming more defined against the bright light.

“Millions of them, right across the world.” The Doctor added heavily.

The Cybermen became completely defined and turned, as one, to face the room at large.

“They’re invading the whole planet!” Yvonne cried in despair.

“No, they’re not Yvonne.” Seren said gravely, shaking her head. She looked up at Yvonne with eyes that seemed far older than her face. “The invasion is long since over. They’re now proclaiming their victory.”

The Doctor wrapped his arm around Seren and Jackie, holding them close.

_“Sphere activated.”_ The computer announced, drawing Seren, the Doctor, Yvonne and Jackie’s attention to it. _“Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated.”_

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey 

The light began to get brighter as the opening became wider.

“I know what’s in there, and I’m ready for them.” Mickey said, letting go of Siwan and Rose’s hands. “I’ve got just the thing.” Siwan, Rose and Rajesh watched as Mickey went to the platform beneath the Sphere and pulled out a massive gun that was hidden beneath it. He held it up, a wide grin on his face and hurried back to them, aiming the gun at the Sphere. “This is gonna blast them to Hell.”

“Samuel, what are you _doing_?” Rajesh exclaimed completely taken aback, standing behind them looking at Mickey.

“The name’s Mickey. Mickey Smith.” Mickey corrected, glancing at the scientist before turning back to the Sphere. “Defending the Earth.”

He cocked his gun and kept it steadily aimed at the opening Sphere.

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie 

“Hold on, the Cybermen don’t have the knowledge or the technology to build a Void Ship.” Seren said with a confused frown on her face. She looked at the Cyberman that was guarding them. “So how did you create the Sphere?”

“The Sphere is not ours.” The Cyberman replied.

“What?” The Doctor asked, stunned.

“The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds.” The Cyberman said, turning to face Seren and the Doctor. “We only followed. Its origin is unknown.”

“Then what’s inside it?” The Doctor asked quietly, tightening his hold around Jackie and Seren.

“Rose and Siwan are down there!” Jackie exclaimed worriedly.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey 

The Sphere opened entirely and four figures emerged from inside before it disappeared in a blaze of light.

“That’s not Cybermen.” Mickey muttered, slowly stepping backwards while standing protectively in front of Siwan, Rose and Rajesh.

“Oh, _Duw_.” Siwan breathed, her heart racing in terror.

“Oh, my God.” Rose whimpered, reaching out blindly and taking Siwan’s arm, both clinging tightly to each other.

Both women remembered what Seren had said about the aliens that were in front of them. They also remembered the abject fear and terror that had seeped into her voice as she told them the story of their previous encounters.

_“Location, Earth.”_ The Dalek in front, a black Dalek, reported. _“Life forms detected. Exterminate!”_

Mickey kept his gun aimed at the Daleks while still moving backwards.

_“Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!”_ The other three Daleks, bronze gold in color, said in unison, sending fear coursing through their enemy’s hearts.

_ Links:  _

_*Seren outfit, jewellery and shoes (amethyst purple and white) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475 626482/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879475%20626482/)

_*Seren drawstring bag (amethyst purple with white flowers) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479277675/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479277675/)

_*Siwan anarkali dress and dupatta (with light pink leggings) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478487970/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478487970/)

_*Siwan earrings (light green and white diamond) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479197846/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479197846/)

_*Siwan drawstring bag (light green with darker green beadwork) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480041439/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480041439/)

_*Siwan shoes -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479841210/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479841210/)

_*Siwan evening gown (peacock blue and silver) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469417655/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469417655/)

_*Siwan earrings -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469417659/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879469417659/)

_*Siwan hairstyle -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480460128/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480460128/)

_*Siwan shoes (silver) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478429952/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478429952/)

_*Siwan makeup (peacock blue eyeshadow and silver along the cut crease) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/388717011569198728/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/388717011569198728/)

_*Siwan clutch purse -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/229120699777019326/_ ](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/229120699777019326/)

 


	15. Doomsday

** Doomsday **

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

The Daleks slowly advanced menacingly towards Siwan, Rose, Mickey and Rajesh, gliding across the cold floor.

 _“Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!”_ The Daleks cried in unison.

“Daleks!” Siwan yelled suddenly, freezing the Daleks in place and the only indication of her terror was the tight grip she had on Rose’s arm before letting it go. She took a breath and stepped forward, straightening her shoulders and holding her head up high. “You are Daleks.”

The Black Dalek lifted its sucker at her and scanned her.

 _“You are Astraea!”_ It cried.

 _“Astraea!”_ The other three Daleks cried in unison.

“Actually, I’m her daughter.” Siwan said with a smirk, only the humans noticing the white-knuckled grip she had on her clutch purse. “What do you think Astraea’s going to do to you if you harm me and my friends? More to the point, what do you think the Doctor is going to do if you harm me and my friends? After all, I’m his daughter.”

 _“Identify yourself!”_ The Black Dalek ordered. _“Identify! Identify!”_

“I am Aludra, daughter of Gallifrey.” Siwan said, levelling an ice cold glare at the Black Dalek. “And I’m guessing that” she glanced behind the Dalek to the Dalek-shaped-and-sized container that had emerged from the Sphere with them, “is made of some form of technology that you can’t operate, likely because you stole it. You need me and if you want me to do anything for you,” she altered the tone of her voice to one that Seren had often used when she was furious – a tone that was filled with a quiet and dangerous fury that never failed to send those on the receiving end running in the opposite direction. “Than you had better keep my friends alive or so help me Gods I will show you exactly what my parents taught me! Is. That. Understood?!”

Rajesh, Rose and Mickey absently stepped away from the furious woman while gazing at her in awed surprise.

Rajesh looked at Siwan with an expression akin to awe, almost mesmerized by how beautiful she looked staring down the Daleks, the beings that she was clearly terrified of. He wondered what she meant by her words to the Daleks, about being ‘Aludra’, being from Gallifrey and being the Doctor and ‘Astraea’s’ daughter. He wondered who Astraea was and why the Daleks seemed afraid of her.

The Daleks looked at Siwan for a long moment before swivelling its eyestalk around to look at Rajesh, Rose and Mickey.

 _“The humans are not a threat.”_ The Black Dalek said finally before swivelling around to look at Siwan again. _“You will be necessary.”_ It spun around to the other Daleks. _“Report. What is the status of the Genesis Ark?”_

Siwan stepped back so that she was close to Mickey, Rose and Rajesh. The four of them moved closer towards each other, needing to be near each other to combat the almost crippling fear that coursed through them at the sight of the Daleks, Mickey, Rose and Siwan more so as they knew exactly what the Daleks were capable of.

 _“Status: hibernation.”_ A Dalek replied.

 _“Commence awakening!”_ The Black Dalek ordered. _“The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else!”_

The four Daleks turned to the Genesis Ark and clamped their suction arms to the side panels.

“Didn’t Seren say that the Daleks were all dead?” Mickey asked Siwan and Rose in a whisper, keeping his gaze on the Daleks.

“She did.” Siwan replied nodding before adding dryly, “Apparently, the Daleks have a hard time staying dead. They seem to keep popping back up, like daisies. Or cockroaches.”

“Never mind that.” Rose said, holding back her snort of amusement at Siwan’s dry and irritated comment. “What the hell’s a Genesis Ark?”

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie

“What’s down there?” Jackie asked fearfully, looking at the Doctor who was leaning against the wall in the Lever room with his arms circled around Seren. “The girls were in that room with the Sphere. What’s happened to Rose and Siwan?”

“I don’t know.” The Doctor bit out, swallowing hard at the thought of his reincarnated daughter being in possible danger.

The Doctor’s hearts were racing, fear coursing through him and it was only Seren’s comforting weight in the circle of his arms that grounded him. He couldn’t help but think of how he had already lost Siwan once, he didn’t know what he would do if he lost her again, her and Seren both.

Jackie gasped and covered her mouth, trying to hold back her sobs.

Seren sighed and reached out to the older woman, the Doctor loosening his hold on her just enough so she could take the older woman’s hand.

“Aunt Jackie, they’re alive.” Seren said softly, reassuringly. “I would know if they had died. Please hold onto your hope, don’t let go.”

“Jackie, we will find them.” The Doctor said with promise in his voice. “I brought you here, I will get you out. You and the girls. Jackie, look at me. Look at me.” Jackie looked up at him, her eyes red and filled with tears. “I promise you, I give you my word. I will find them, alive and save.”

“We will find them, together.” Seren said, squeezing the Doctor’s hand and taking Jackie’s hand with her free one.

Seren’s mobile buzzed in her purse and she pulled it out, letting go of Jackie’s hand and shifting so that she was concealed from the Cybermen that surrounded them.

“Jones.” She said quietly into the mouthpiece.

 _“Seren, oh my God, Seren! There are these metal men everywhere!”_ Amanda’s voice came through, utterly panicked. Seren quickly lowered the volume of the incoming sound before it drew attention to her. _“What is going on, Seren? I can’t reach Adam, Duncan or Joe. I can’t even reach Siwan and she’s supposed to have a superphone!”_

“Amanda, I need you to stay calm.” Seren said firmly yet soothingly.

She bit back her worry about Amanda not being able to reach Siwan, something must be blocking the communications signal. If that was so, then they were dealing with something other than Cybermen because they didn’t have the technology. She wasn’t too worried about Adam, the Immortal was a master at remaining hidden when he had to.

 _“Stay calm. ‘Stay calm’, she says.”_ Amanda said, panicked and hysterical. _“How the hell do you expect me to stay calm when there are alien metal men in my living room?!”_

Seren sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Amanda, can you get to the safety bunker in the basement of your apartment complex?” Seren asked, cutting through the Immortal’s panic.

Seren understood what was causing the Immortal to panic after surviving and fighting for centuries. This was something that Amanda didn’t know how to deal with, it was so completely out of her depth and that was what scared her. This wasn’t a matter of duelling in the Game, this wasn’t solved with a beheading. This was something that was so beyond her abilities that it left her feeling vulnerable, a feeling she hadn’t felt in centuries.

 _“I think so.”_ Amanda said, taking a few breaths to calm herself down. _“I’m hiding in the corner by the bathroom.”_

“Okay, try and get to the basement but if they see you, don’t fight if you can avoid it.” Seren advised, glancing at the Cybermen that surrounded her to make sure her conversation was still unnoticed. “Try and get as many people to the basement as possible, then seal it closed. I’ll send you the all clear code as soon as it’s safe. Thankfully, the bunker has enough supplies to last for several weeks, longer if you ration it.”

 _“Seren, you don’t think this is going to last that long, do you?”_ Amanda asked shakily.

“I hope not, but it’s also a consistency in case… in case we don’t survive.” Seren said quietly, hearing Jackie’s breath hitch at the words.

The Doctor took Jackie’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly though his own hearts ached at the thought of Seren and Siwan not surviving.

 _“Please be safe.”_ Amanda pleaded. _“Bye.”_

“Bye and good luck.” Seren said before ending the call. Before she could put the mobile away, it chimed quietly with an incoming message alert. Opening the messaging centre, she saw that it was a frantic text from Adam. “It’s from Adam.” She said softly to Jackie and the Doctor, angling herself so that they could see the message over her shoulder while still remaining concealed from the Cybermen.

_‘What is going on? I can’t reach Siwan and there are metal men everywhere!’_

_‘As far as I can tell, Siwan is safe. If anything were to happen to her, I would know it.’_ Seren messaged back, calming the worried Immortal as much as possible. _‘The metal men are called Cybermen. Try and get to safety with as many people as you can, but if you are confronted by the Cybermen, don’t fight if you can avoid it. I don’t know if you’ll be able to survive a hit from them and I’d rather not test it out. Send a message to the other Immortals and as many Watchers as you can to get as many people to safety and to not fight the Cybermen. Try to get to the safety bunkers if you can, they have enough supplies to last several weeks. I’ll send you the all clear code as soon as it’s safe.’_

 _‘Okay. Be safe, all of you.’_ Adam messaged after a few seconds, evidently deciding to make use of his ‘super-power’ of running away from danger like she had asked him to.

 _‘You too, good luck.’_ Seren sent the final message and closed the messaging centre.

She quickly locked her mobile and put it back in her purse before it could be noticed by the Cybermen.

A Cyberman, the Cyber Leader, walked passed them and into Yvonne’s office where the Director was sitting behind her desk.

“You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender.” The Cyber Leader ordered.

“Oh, do some research.” Yvonne snapped, rolling her eyes and glaring at the Cyber Leader. “We haven't got a central world authority.”

“You have now. I will speak on all global wavelengths.” The Cyber Leader said, tapping the emblem on its chest. The Doctor pulled out his 3D specs and put them on. “This broadcast is for human kind.” The Cyber Leader appeared on TV screens around the world. “Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet, but you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us.”

Panic ensued as the streets were filled with terrified citizens running and screaming. The army set up roadblocks to try and fight the advancing squads of Cybermen while giving the citizens a chance to run for cover. One soldier managed to destroy a Cyberman with a bazooka before he was killed by another Cyberman. Fires and explosions erupted as a result of the combat – the military attacked the Cybermen with the Cybermen retaliating and the Cybermen attacking the humans with the military retaliating.

The death toll slowly rose higher and higher, with the humans being the ones that were killed by the hundreds while the Cybermen were more or less able to withstand the relatively primitive technology.

“I ordered surrender.” The Cyber Leader said looking out of Yvonne’s office window at the burning city below.

The Doctor, Yvonne, Jackie and Seren moved to stand in front of the window as well, watching as their beloved city burned in the chaos.

“They’re not going to surrender!” Seren exclaimed, glaring up at the Cyber Leader.

“Don’t you understand?” The Doctor asked, glaring at the Cyber Leader as well. “You're on every street, you're in their homes, you've got their _children_! Of course they're going to fight!”

And so would the Doctor, Seren and Jackie to get to Rose and Siwan who were in the Sphere Chamber. For the moment, they could hold on to the little comfort that was the knowledge that both women were still alive.

As soon as the thought crossed the Doctor’s mind, Seren let out a pain-filled scream and grabbed his hands, squeezing tightly.

“Seren! What is it? What happened?” The Doctor asked frantically, lowering her gently to the ground as Jackie and Yvonne crouched beside them.

“I don’t know who, just that it’s not Siwan, but someone died.” Seren gasped before letting out another scream of pain.

The bond between the twins, as Chosen Ones of the Mara who had Chosen immortality, was such that they would know if the other was the one that was killed.

“Oh, my God.” Jackie whimpered in fear, the hope she was holding on to dimming slightly at her god-daughter’s words.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

_“Which of you is least important?”_ The Black Dalek asked, rounding on Rose, Rajesh and Mickey.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rose asked.

 _“Which of you is least important?”_ The Black Dalek repeated.

“None of them are.” Siwan said, glaring at the Dalek.

 _“Designate the least important!”_ The Black Dalek ordered.

“This is my responsibility.” Rajesh said quietly, taking a step forward.

“No, don’t Rajesh!” Siwan exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing his arm to keep him from getting any closer to the Daleks.

“This is my responsibility, Siwan.” Rajesh repeated quietly, looking at Siwan with a tender expression before looking at the Black Dalek. “I represent the Torchwood Institute. Your questions can be answered by me. Leave these three alone.”

 _“The Daleks need information about current Earth history.”_ The Black Dalek said.

“Yeah, well, I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise Homeland security.” Rajesh said, stepping forward so he could face the Daleks.

“I said _don’t_ , Rajesh!” Siwan said, tugging his arm and pulling him away from the Daleks. “They aren’t asking for your _words_ to give them the knowledge! They will extract your brainwaves by literally sucking your mind dry and crushing your skull! You will die!”

Rajesh went completely white before rapidly turning green at the picture Siwan’s words painted. When she tugged his arm again, he didn’t fight the pull and let her push him behind Rose and Mickey, the two moving to stand in front of him protectively.

Siwan whipped around and faced the Daleks, a fierce glare etched on her face.

“You will not be getting any information about this planet from any of us.” She said in a quiet tone filled with barely repressed fury. “Anything you want to learn, you will have to do it yourselves.”

 _“You dare defy the Daleks?!”_ The Black Dalek roared, it eyestalk spinning around to face her.

“Wouldn’t be the first time and wouldn’t be the last.” Siwan retorted angrily, faint memories of her past life seeping through to the forefront of her mind. “My parents defied you time and again, to the point that you fear them. You fear them so completely that even their very names send terror racing through you. You, who supposedly feel nothing except hate. They even have their own names in the legends of your home-world – the Oncoming Storm and the Gathering Wave. I even have my own name in those old legends – the Converging Wind. Do you really think I would hesitate to defy you?”

Siwan stared at the Daleks unflinchingly, the power of the Mara, normally simmering just below the surface, surged through her, swirling in her sapphire blue eyes. A power that was timeless and ancient seemed to seep from her, electrifying the air around them.

The Black Dalek looked at her through its eyestalk for a long moment, recognizing the power that swirled through her, before gliding away, going to the computer at the end of the room. It placed its sucker on the screen and began absorbing all the information it needed.

“Oh, I’m so glad that worked.” Siwan said, letting out a relieved sigh.

“Can you please explain what you meant by what you said to them earlier?” Rajesh asked, looking at Siwan pleadingly.

“It’s complicated.” Rose said, shrugging sheepishly.

“My sister is actually the reincarnation of my mother and her boyfriend was actually her husband in her previous life. Said husband and boyfriend is my father from my previous life. My mother and I died at roughly the same time so when we were reincarnated, we ended up in the same family as almost-twins.” Siwan said dryly.

“Okay, _not_ that complicated.” Rose muttered, her put-out expression making Mickey and Rajesh both chuckle lightly.

Siwan suddenly let out a pain-filled scream, feeling as though her heart was being torn apart. She trembled on her feet and began to fall, Mickey catching her before she could hit the ground.

“What is it? What happened?” Rajesh asked frantically, never before seen the Welshwoman so pained.

“Someone died.” Siwan gasped, squeezing Mickey’s hands tightly. “I don’t know who, just that it’s not Seren.”

“Oh, my God.” Rose whimpered, gripping Rajesh’s arm fearfully.

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie

Seren panted lightly as the Doctor gently picked her up and placed her on a chair. The pain had stopped, but she was afraid to find out who it was that died. The fact that she felt the pain, even though she hadn’t when the Cybermen began killing hundreds of humans, meant that it was someone she loved that was dead.

“Scans detect unknown technology active within Sphere chamber.” The Cyber Leader said, turning to face the squad of Cybermen in the Lever Room.

Seren and the Doctor exchanged looks, taking note of the Cyber Leader’s comment of the technology being unknown to them.

“Cybermen will investigate.” A Cyberman said.

“Units -10-6-5 and 10-6-6 will investigate Sphere Chamber.” The Cyber Leader ordered over the Cybermen’s communication link.

“We obey.” The mechanical voice of two Cybermen came through the communications link.

~*~*~*~

With Seren, Rose and Mickey

Mickey gently lifted Siwan and sat her down on a chair that Rajesh had pulled from the table. She was panting slightly from the force of the pain but it was the not knowing who had died that was more agonizing for her. The fact that she had felt the pain meant that it was someone she loved that had died and that terrified her.

 _“The records of this system spoke of a second species invading Earth, infected by the superstition of ghosts.”_ The Black Dalek said, gliding away from the computer and facing the other Daleks _. “Dalek Thay, investigate outside.”_

 _“I obey.”_ Dalek Thay replied, turning to glide out of the chamber.

“Oh, Duw.” Siwan breathed, her eyes wide in shock as an echo of a memory crossed her mind. “They’ve got names!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Rajesh asked, confused.

“How _bad_ is that?” Rose asked nervously, not liking Siwan’s shocked expression.

“I’m not sure.” Siwan admitted, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember. “It’s an echo of a memory. But whatever it means, I have a bad feeling that things just became much, much worse.”

“Great. Just what we need.” Mickey said dryly.

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie

The Doctor, Jackie and Yvonne stood in a corner of the office with Seren still seated in a chair beside her boyfriend and god-mother. All four of them had their eyes trained on the Cyber Leader.

“Units, open visual link.” The Cyber Leader ordered. A visual from one of the Cybermen’s perspective came up on Yvonne’s laptop. “Visual contact established.”

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

_“Establish visual contact.”_ The Black Dalek ordered as Siwan, Mickey, Rose and Rajesh watched, staying close together. _“Lower communications barrier.”_

They all looked up as a holographic screen appeared where the Sphere had once been. The image showed Dalek Thay’s blue-tinted visual of the hallway outside the Sphere Chamber.

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie

_A Dalek appeared on Yvonne’s screen, gliding through a doorway and stopping in front of the Cybermen._

The Doctor’s eyes widened in horror while Seren clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream, using her other hand to grab the Doctor’s hand and hold it tightly. Jackie and Yvonne looked at the pair, both worried at what could cause such fear in the pair.

“Identify yourselves.” _Dalek Thay ordered._

_“You will identify first.” One of the Cybermen stated._

“State your identity.” _Dalek Thay ordered._

_“You will identify first.” The Cyberman repeated._

“Identify!” _Dalek Thay ordered._

“Talk about a battle of wills.” Seren muttered dryly to the Doctor, Jackie and Yvonne, unable to help but find some measure of amusement in each side’s attempt to get the other to identify themselves first.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Mickey and Rose

“It’s like Stephen Hawkins meets the Speaking Clock.” Mickey said quietly to Rose, Rajesh and Siwan, unable to help but find the verbal sparring amusing.

Siwan snorted in response, a small smile on her face and the fear that coursed through her lessening marginally.

_“…illogical, you will modify.” The Cyberman said._

“Daleks do not take orders.” _Dalek Thay said, managing to sound affronted at the very concept of being ordered to do something._

_“You have identified as Daleks.” The Cyberman stated._

_“Outline resembles the inferior species known as Cybermen.”_ The Black Dalek said, its voice being broadcasted over the communications channel.

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie

“You both told us about the Daleks, and you had been terrified.” Jackie said quietly to Seren and the Doctor while Yvonne listened silently. “What have they done to the girls, Doctor? Was it one of their deaths that felt, Seren?”

“I don’t know, Aunt Jackie.” Seren replied, just as quietly.

“Seren, phone.” The Doctor said quietly, holding his hand out.

Seren pulled her mobile out of her purse and handed it to the Doctor. Yvonne glanced at the sleek amethyst purple device, noticing that it wasn’t like anything that was currently on the market or in production. The Doctor quickly and discreetly dialled a number and held the mobile to his ear.

_“We followed in the wake of your sphere.” The Cyberman said to the Daleks._

“Long range scans confirm the presence of crude cybernetic constructs on worldwide scale.” _A Dalek said in confirmation._

“Rose answered, she’s alive.” The Doctor said quietly, breathing a sigh of relief. Jackie smiled brightly, covering her mouth so it wouldn’t be noticed. “Why haven’t they killed her yet?”

“Well, don’t complain!” Jackie said incredulously.

“They might need one of them for something.” Seren suggested. “Knowing that, they must have refused to help in any way if the other was harmed.”

 _“We must protect the Genesis Ark!”_ The Doctor heard a Dalek say through the phone line.

“Genesis Ark?” The Doctor repeated in confusion. He glanced towards Seren, who had spent a lot of time reading just about anything she could get her hands on from the TARDIS Library. “You know what a Genesis Ark is?”

“No idea.” Seren said, shaking her head.

They looked towards the laptop and the Doctor put on his 3D specs.

_“Our species our similar, though your design is inelegant.” One of the Cybermen said to Dalek Thay._

“Daleks have no concept of elegance.” _Dalek Thay said._

_“This is obvious. But consider, our technologies are compatible.” The Cyberman replied bluntly. “Cybermen plus Daleks. Together, we could upgrade the Universe.”_

“You propose an alliance?” _Dalek Thay asked._

_“This is correct.” The Cyberman confirmed._

“Request denied.” _Dalek Thay said._

_“Hostile elements will be deleted.” A Cyberman said as both readied their arm guns and aimed at Dalek Thay._

_The fired at the Dalek but the bolts didn’t even reach the armour, being stopped by its personal force-field._

“Exterminate!” _Dalek Thay cried, firing a blast at the two Cybermen and destroying them._

“Open visual link.” The Cyber Leader ordered, stepping in front of the screen. “Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen.”

Jackie gasped, her eyes going wide, at the declaration. Seren reached out and took her hand while taking the Doctor’s hand as well with her free one.

“This is not war - this is pest control!” _The Black Dalek responded on the laptop screen._

Seren bit back a snort at the Dalek’s response.

“We have 5 million Cybermen.” The Cyber Leader pointed out. “How many are you?”

“Four.” _The Black Dalek replied._

“You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?” The Cyber Leader asked, almost incredulous.

“We would destroy the Cybermen with _one_ Dalek!” _The Black Dalek retorted._

Yvonne began biting her nails worriedly, her eyes firmly on the laptop’s video screen. Seren and the Doctor exchanged looks, they knew that the Daleks truly were capable of destroying the Cybermen with only one Dalek. After all, it had only been one Dalek that nearly destroyed Van Statten’s base if it hadn’t been for the genetic material it had extrapolated from Seren, gaining her compassion in the process as well.

“You are superior in only one respect.” _The Black Dalek continued._

“What is that?” The Cyber Leader asked.

Seren got to her feet and began pacing anxiously behind the Cyber Leader, the Doctor pacing in time with her while holding the mobile to his ear.

“You are better at dying.” _The Black Dalek replied._ “Raise communications barrier!”

The Doctor lowered the mobile and locked the screen.

“Lost her.” He said softly to Jackie.

“The communications barrier is probably why Amanda wasn’t able to get through to Siwan earlier.” Seren commented, sitting back down on the chair. She looked at Jackie, seeing the utterly worried expression on her face. “They’re both alive, Aunt Jackie. We need to hold on to that knowledge.”

Jackie took a shaky breath and nodded slowly, wringing her trembling hands together anxiously. She knew in her mind that Seren was right, the girls were alive and safe for the moment, but that didn’t stop her from worrying about them, about Seren and the Doctor as well as Siwan and Rose.

Seren glanced at Yvonne and saw the worried expression on the older woman’s face. She reached out and took Yvonne’s hand gently, stopping her from biting her nails and also to reassure the woman who was so out of her depth.

“We’ll find a way out of this, Yvonne.” Seren said gently, smiling reassuringly up at the older woman. “We always do, one way or another.”

Yvonne gave Seren a shaky smile, grateful for the comfort and reassurance though she felt that she didn’t deserve it, particularly from the woman who had been their prisoner not even an hour earlier. Yvonne was beginning to realize that maybe the Doctor and Seren weren’t the enemy that Queen Victoria had been so afraid of. She was beginning to realize that what the Queen had seen as a threat was merely her misunderstanding and fear of something that people in the 21st Century were slightly more open-minded to – the unknown.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

_“Wait!”_ The Black Dalek cried as the view screen went dark. _“Rewind image by nine rels.”_ The recorded video of the communication rewound a few seconds before freezing on the image of the Doctor and Seren behind the Cyber Leader _. “Identify grid Seven Gamma Frame.”_ The frozen image zoomed in on the couple’s faces. Siwan and Rose smiled brightly, quiet sighs of relief escaping their lips at seeing the pair alive _“This male and female register as Enemies.”_ The Black Dalek spun around to face the women. _“The females’ heartbeats have increased.”_

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Mickey joked lightly, grinning.

Rose glared at him, embarrassment flooding her at the reminder of the crush she used to have on the Time Lord.

 _“Identify them!”_ The Black Dalek ordered, looking at Siwan.

Siwan looked at the Daleks with a raised eyebrow, as though contemplating whether or not she _wanted_ to tell them who the couple was.

_“Identify!”_

“Oh, alright then. If it’ll get you to stop shrieking.” Siwan said, rolling her large eyes exasperatedly and getting to her feet. “That,” she gestured to the frozen image, “is the Doctor and Astraea.” She smirked, seeing the Daleks roll backward, away from her. “Ooh, that touched a nerve. 5 million Cybermen? No problem, _easy_ even. One Doctor and one Astraea, now you’re scared.”

“And you’ve got their daughter trapped down here.” Rose piped up helpfully, making the Daleks turn to her. She gestured to Siwan and the Daleks spun their eyestalks at her, backing away even further as though she was dangerous. “Yup, now you’re beyond scared. You’re _terrified_.”

~*~*~*~

With Seren, the Doctor and Jackie

The Cyber Leader walked out of the office and joined the Cybermen in the Lever room.

“Quarantine the Sphere Chamber.” It ordered one Cyberman before turning to the rest. “Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel.”

Some of the Cybermen marched into the office and grabbed Yvonne and Jackie while the others grabbed the rest of the staff.

“No, you can’t do this!” Yvonne yelled fearfully, struggling against the Cyberman’s hold. “We surrendered! We surrendered!”

“Keep these ones.” The Cyber Leader ordered, looking at Seren and the Doctor. The two were grabbed by another pair of Cybermen and held firmly. “Their increased adrenaline suggests they have vital Dalek information.”

“Stop them!” Jackie yelled terrified, struggling against the Cyberman’s hold and reaching out to try and grab Seren’s hand. “I don’t want to go!”

Unfortunately, they were a few inches too far, despite their efforts to reach each other.

“I demand that you leave that woman alone!” The Doctor shouted to the Cyber Leader, reaching out to try and grab Jackie’s hand as well. “We won’t help you if you hurt her!”

“You promised me, Doctor!” Jackie yelled, tears of terror streaming down from her blue-grey eyes. “You gave me your word!”

“Don’t fight, Aunt Jackie!” Seren yelled as Jackie was pulled out of the office.

“We’ll think of something!” The Doctor yelled frantically as Jackie was pulled out the Lever room and was taken completely out of sight.

The Cybermen let the two of them go and Seren swayed in her spot, her gaze locked on the place she had last seen Jackie. The Doctor rushed forward and caught her before she could fall to the ground. He held her tightly in his arms, pressing a small kiss to her forehead before levelling an ice-cold glare at the Cyber Leader.

He would find a way out of this and when he did, there would be nothing stopping him from tearing the Cybermen and the Daleks apart for harming his Seren and his daughter.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

_“Cyber threat irrelevant.”_ Dalek Thay announced, gliding back into the Sphere Chamber. _“Concentrate on the Genesis Ark.”_

Siwan, Rose, Mickey and Rajesh shuffled backwards, pressing themselves into a corner while watching the Daleks.

The Black Dalek turned to the Genesis Ark and pressed its sucker to one of the protruding orbs.

“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but why are they keeping us alive?” Rajesh asked in a quiet whisper, he and Mickey standing protectively in front of the two women while still giving them room to see what the Daleks were doing. He looked at Siwan, adding, “I get why they’re keeping you alive, sort of, but why the three of us? We’re humans. What could possibly come of keeping us alive?”

“Well I wasn’t about to let them kill you.” Siwan replied with a small smile.

“Yeah, but they _listened_.” Mickey said quietly. “From all the stories Seren and the Doctor had told us about the Daleks, they never do that.”

“They might need us for something as well then.” Rose said with a heavy sigh.

“For what?” Rajesh asked with a frown.

“Leverage.” Siwan said quietly in horrified realization. She looked up at Rose, Rajesh and Mickey with terror in her large, sapphire eyes. “They can get me to do anything if they were to threaten any of you.”

“Oh, my God.” Rajesh breathed in horror, realizing what Siwan meant.

~*~*~*~

With Seren and the Doctor

The Doctor sat on the windowsill with Seren in his arms. Both were silent and looking out at the city. The fires were out for the moment but there were large areas that were nothing more than rubble, visible even from the top of the Tower.

“You are proof.” The Cyber Leader said, walking up to Seren and the Doctor.

“Of what?” The Doctor asked, both turning to look at the Cyber Leader with tired and ancient eyes.

“That emotions destroy you.” The Cyber Leader replied.

“Yeah, that we are.” Seren replied with a small smile, turning completely so that her back was to the window.

The Doctor shifted as well, his own position mirroring Seren’s with his back to the window. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and a small smile crossed his face.

“Mind you,” He said slowly. “I quite like hope. Hope’s a good emotion. And here it comes!”

Suddenly, a large group of people, black-clad commandos with masks covering their faces, appeared in the middle of the Lever room. They took aim and fired at the few Cybermen that were in the Lever room, destroying them before they could fire a single shot. The Doctor and Seren dove to the ground and into a corner, the Time Lord curling his body protectively around his beloved, as the Cyber Leader advanced towards the new arrivals. Like with the other Cybermen, before it could fire a single shot, it was destroyed with his head blown completely off.

Seren and the Doctor rose to their feet and cautiously stepped out of the office, eyeing the destroyed Cybermen distastefully.

“Doctor.” One of the men said. “Good to see you again. Seren, good to see this version of you.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Seren asked, cocking her head to the side and looking at the man curiously.

The man removed his mask revealing a Caucasian man with platinum blonde hair – Jake Simmons from the Parallel World.

“Jake?!” The Doctor asked, stunned.

“What are you doing here?” Seren asked with a bright smile, running up to the man and hugging him tightly. She pulled away from him and stepped back, now looking confused. “More to the point, _how_ are you here?”

“The Cybermen came through from one world into another. And so did we!” Jake said with a proud smile.

The Doctor and Seren looked at him with matching stunned expressions, their jaws hanging open.

Jake turned to his comrades and began issuing orders.

“Defend this room.” The Doctor pulled out his 3D specs and put them on, a frown on his face. “Chrissie, monitor communications. Kill one Cyber Leader and they just download into another. Move!”

The black-clad commandos separated and began carrying out their orders, most heading out of the room while one, Chrissie, went to one of the computers and sat down.

“You can't just-just-just hop from one world to another!” The Doctor exclaimed incredulously, removing his 3D specs. “You can't!”

“We just did.” Jake pointed out. “With these.”

He tossed an item to Seren and the Doctor each. They caught the items and looked at them – large yellow medallions hanging on fine chains that hung around the wearer’s necks. Each of the commandos had an identical medallion.

“This is impossible.” Seren breathed, her eyes wide.

“Seren’s right.” The Doctor agreed, looking at Jake with wide eyes. “You can’t have this sort of technology.”

“How did you even get this?” Seren asked.

“We’ve got our own version of Torchwood.” Jake replied.

“Of course you do.” Seren muttered sarcastically.

“They developed it.” Jake continued, not commenting on Seren’s sarcastic remark. “Do you wanna come and see?”

Without waiting for a reply, Jake pressed his medallion.

“NO!” The Doctor and Seren yelled in unison as they were whisked away from their Universe.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

Siwan suddenly let out an agonizing, blood-curdling scream, her knees buckling and her hands flying to her chest where her heart resided.

“Siwan!” Mickey, Rajesh and Rose yelled in unison, the two men reaching out to catch the screaming Welshwoman before she hit the floor.

They gently lowered her down while Rose held her hands, rubbing soothing circles into the smooth pale white back of her palms.

“Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Mickey crooned softly, running a hand over Siwan’s hair.

Mickey adjusted his position so that his back was against the wall and Siwan was resting between his legs while Rajesh and Rose were crouched on either side of her.

Siwan was unaware of any of it, screaming her agony to the world as she felt her heart tear open like it had only a short time ago. Except this time, the pain was doubled – two people were gone this time. She knew, somewhere beneath the pain, that one of them was Seren, that she had faced her Final Death. If that was so, it was highly likely that the second person was the Doctor because he would die himself before letting any harm come to Seren.

“Seren. Doctor.” She whimpered quietly, tears of sorrow and pain running down her face.

Rajesh, Rose and Mickey exchanged pained looks, unable to do anything but comfort the trembling, broken-hearted woman.

~*~*~*~

With Seren and the Doctor

Seren, the Doctor and Jake reappeared in darkened, wrecked version of the Lever room they had just been in – the Parallel Universe they had come across a few months earlier.

“Parallel Earth, parallel Torchwood.” Jake told them.

“Oh _Duw_.” Seren whimpered, wrapping her arms around her chest.

Seren knew what Siwan would be thinking, that she was dead and likely the Doctor as well. She wasn’t feeling the pain of the connection breaking because there was already a Parallel version of herself and Siwan in this Universe – like the previous time they had been in the Parallel Universe, the connections transferred so that she was connected to the Parallel Siwan rather than her own.

The Doctor wrapped his arm around her and held her close, knowing as well that Siwan was probably thinking that they were dead.

“Except we found out what the Institute was doing and the People's Republic took control.” Jake continued before noticing the pained expression on Seren and the Doctor’s faces. He frowned, concerned. “What is it?”

“We have to get back!” The Doctor shouted, glaring at Jake. “Siwan is in danger as well as Rose and her mother!”

“That’d be Jackie.” A male voice came from the shadows, the man it belonged to stepping into the dim light. “My wife in a Parallel Universe.”

Seren gasped, her eyes going wide and a pang of pained sorrow shooting through her heart at the sight of the man who was dead in her Universe – Pete Tyler, her godfather. He was flanked by two women who were identical in every way except for two things: one had sapphire blue eyes and wore glasses while the other had amethyst purple eyes – Seren and Siwan’s parallel counterparts, Seren Smith and Siwan Jones.

Both were wearing black, cowl neck sleeveless blouses* with black slim-fit jeans over black, knee-high lace-up 4” high heeled boots*. Both had their thigh-length raven blue-black long hair tied into high ponytails, held by ribbons – Parallel Seren had amethyst purple while Parallel Siwan had sapphire blue.

“Hey Seren.” The Parallel Seren, Mrs. Smith, said with a small smile. Her gold and diamond wedding rings sparkled in the dim lighting. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Yeah, it really is.” Parallel Siwan agreed, a smile on her face as well. She had her engagement ring on her finger, but in addition to it, there was also a slim swirl-engraved white gold wedding band* behind it.

“You and Adam are married?” Seren asked, noticing the wedding band behind the engagement ring.

“Yeah, I’m Mrs. Pierson now.” Parallel Siwan, Mrs. Pierson, replied with a slight blush on her face.

“Congratulations.” Seren said earnestly.

“As for you, Doctor,” Pete said, drawing their attention back to him. “At least this time, I know who you are.”

“Right, yes, fine, hooray.” The Doctor said sarcastically, rounding on the man without losing his hold on Seren. “But we've got to get back, right now.”

“No.” Pete refused, shaking his head and looking utterly unperturbed by the Time Lord’s shouting. “You're not in charge here. This is _our_ world, not yours. And you're going to listen for once.”

“Uncle Pete, Siwan thinks we’re dead!” Seren yelled desperately, trying to get the man that shared her beloved god-father’s face to understand.

“What?!” Pete, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Pierson said in unison, looking at the Doctor and Seren in shock.

“When we were pulled through, it severed the connection between us.” Seren said, breathing heavily and only on her feet because of the Doctor’s arms around her. “It only happens when a person we love and have the connection with dies or are no longer part of our Universe.”

“Uncle Pete, you explain things to the Doctor, we’re taking Seren back.” Mrs. Pierson said hurriedly, already striding across the room towards Seren and the Doctor. “If at least one of them gets back, hopefully it’ll help Siwan realize that they’re not dead. The connection should fall back into place.”

“Since I’m going back to the same time period that she’s in, it will.” Seren confirmed.

“Go.” Pete said, nodding.

“I’m going with you.” The Doctor said, looking at the three women.

“Doctor, there are some things that Uncle Pete needs to tell you.” Mrs. Smith said, looking up at the man her counterpart loved. “Things you need to know before you can go back to your Universe.”

The Doctor clenched his jaw, tightening his hold on Seren for a moment before letting go.

“Okay.” He said, his reluctance obvious. He turned to Seren and kissed her, savouring her taste and scent, before pulling away. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Seren replied, pecking his lips lightly before stepping back and standing between the Parallel Universe’s Jones twins, each carrying a medallion.

Seren held her medallion tightly and Mrs. Smith pressed the yellow button, whisking them away from the Parallel Universe and back into Seren’s own.

They reappeared in the brightly lit Lever room and Seren sighed in relief, feeling the connections with her loved ones fall back into place before letting out an agonized scream a second later at her connection to the Doctor severing.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

Siwan, who had finally stopped screaming and was laying limp in Mickey’s arms, gasped and shot upright. Her eyes were wide, darting in every direction as she tried to make sense of what she felt.

“Siwan? What is it?” Rose asked worriedly, exchanging an equally worried look with Mickey.

Neither of them had seen Siwan react the way she just had to feeling a loved one’s death, granted it was likely Seren and the Doctor who were dead so the feedback was much worse.

Rajesh looked at Siwan, trying to calm his rising panic. Not knowing or understanding what was going on, he had been taking his cues from Mickey and Rose. However, when they began shooting worried looks at Siwan, he knew something was wrong, more wrong that things already were.

“The connection’s back.” Siwan breathed in amazement and confusion. “Not completely, like someone’s still missing, but it doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

“How’s that possible?” Rose asked, confused.

“Could it be that the Doctor and Seren were taken to the Parallel Universe and that’s what you had sensed?” Mickey asked speculatively.

“That’s right, you and Seren felt the connections with Mickey breaking when we returned after he decided to stay.” Rose said.

“It’s possible.” Siwan said slowly, nodding. “And with us in the same time period, I would sense the connections slipping back into place when they return.”

“Okay, I have no idea what any of that means, but that’s a good thing right?” Rajesh asked, looking between the three friends.

“If we’re right, then yes, it’s a good thing.” Siwan replied, nodding and slowly getting to her feet.

She swayed slightly and Rajesh reached out to steady her, keeping a gentle grip on her arms while standing beside her.

“Are you okay though?” Rose asked, rising to her feet and looking at the smaller Welshwoman worriedly.

“I could teleport out of here and get help,” Mickey said, rising to his feet and taking a large yellow medallion on a thin chain out of his pocket. He showed it to them, angling his body so that the Daleks wouldn’t notice the device. “Maybe find out if anyone’s still in the Parallel Universe, but it only carries one and I’m not leaving any of you.” He looked at Rajesh as he spoke, including the scientist with his friends.

“You’d follow us anywhere.” Rose commented, smiling gently at him. “What’d we do to you all those years ago?”

“Well, I guess some things never change.” Mickey said back, grinning lightly. “Me following you girls is one of them.”

“No Mickey.” Siwan said softly, shaking her head and looking at him with suddenly ancient and wise eyes. “You’ve already begun to carve your own path. Your own legacy.” She blinked and the ancient look in her eyes disappeared. “You are the bravest man I’ve ever known and I’m so proud of you.”

“What about the Doctor? And Adam?” Mickey asked, grinning playfully.

“Okay, bravest _human_ man I know.” Siwan amended slightly.

“And Adam has his own scale to be measured on.” Rose added pointedly.

“Fair point.” Mickey muttered, exchanging knowing looks with Rose and Siwan.

Adam was Immortal, so even though he tended to run away from danger, he couldn’t measure risks the way humans had to. He would survive anything so long as his head was still attached to the rest of his body.

“But this might explain why Seren and I weren’t able to sense anything from the ghosts during the Ghost Shift earlier.” Siwan said with a frown, looking down at the medallion. “They weren’t from our Universe, they were from the Parallel one. And on top of that, they were only half way through the Void.”

“What are you three talking about?” Rajesh asked, looking completely confused.

“Never mind.” Mickey said shaking his head and glancing at the Daleks that were still ignoring them. “What would the Daleks want with me? I’m nothing to them when compared to you, Rose and even Rajesh.”

“How d’you mean?” Rose asked.

“Siwan is the Doctor and Astraea’s daughter, you are one of the Doctor’s Companions and Rajesh is the only actual Torchwood employee in this Chamber.” Mickey explained.

“Wait a minute, Mickey. You _were_ a Companion.” Siwan said quietly, realization dawning on her face at Mickey’s explanation of each of their importance. “They just might need you as well for the same reason they would need Rose and I – we’ve time travelled at some point in our lives.” Rose, Mickey and Rajesh frowned, not understanding what she meant. “Remember when Seren told us about her trip to Utah, 2012? The first time she encountered a Dalek?” Rose and Mickey nodded slowly, the frowns still on their faces. “She said that when she accidentally touched the broken Dalek, it healed itself by extrapolating her genetic material. When you travel in time, you absorb background temporal radiation. It’s completely harmless, but in the Time War, the Daleks had evolved to the point of being able to use it as a power supply.”

“And whatever is in that Ark is either already waking up or it _needs_ waking up.” Rose said in realization, glancing at the Ark briefly.

“So, they could use any of you.” Rajesh said softly before frowning confusedly. “But why would they build something that they can’t open themselves?”

“Yeah, I was wondering that too.” Mickey said, a confused frown on his face as well.

 _“The technology is stolen.”_ The Black Dalek said, hearing the question and confirming Siwan’s earlier theory. Rose, Siwan, Rajesh and Micky turned to look at the Daleks. _“The Ark is not of Dalek design.”_

“Are you saying the _Time Lords_ built that thing?” Siwan asked in shocked horror, pointing to the Ark.

 _“That is correct.”_ The Black Dalek replied. _“The Ark is all that survives of their home-world.”_

“I’m almost afraid to ask but what’s inside?” Rose asked.

 _“The future.”_ The Black Dalek replied before turning back to the Ark.

“Why do I get the feeling that he means the future for the _Daleks_ and not anyone else?” Swan muttered rhetorically, the four of them looking at the Ark with nervous and worried expressions.

~*~*~*~

With Seren

Seren sat on a chair in Yvonne’s office with her eyes closed and her head tilted back, trying not to think of the gaping hole that had taken residence in her heart. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Pierson were sitting beside her, holding her hands tightly in their own. Keeping guard at the door and in the hallway, their weapons at the ready, were the other commandos.

Where Seren had felt the pain of her connection to the Doctor being broken once they returned to her Universe, neither Parallel twin felt it. They only felt a dimming of their bonds due to the existence of Seren and Siwan, both whom belonged in the Universe they were in at the moment.

“So, I take it from the kiss you and the Doctor shared and the words of love you said to each other, you two finally got your heads out of your butts and admitted you were in love with each other?” Mrs. Smith asked Seren suddenly, looking at her Parallel counterpart with a smirk.

Seren’s eyes shot open and she whipped around to look at the counterpart with a stunned expression.

“Yeah, we saw the way you two looked at each other.” Mrs. Pierson said. “And Mickey confirmed it after we confronted him.”

Seren blushed brightly, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“Yes, we admitted our love for each other.” Seren admitted softly, her blush fading to a light tint and a tender look in her large gold-rimmed eyes. “Anyway, how _is_ Mickey?”

“Mickey’s alright.” Mrs. Pierson replied. “He came through ahead, set up a base and to try and find you.”

“What? Mickey’s here?” Seren asked in surprise.

Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Pierson both nodded in unison.

As she thought about it Seren could sense the strand that connected her to Mickey was once again whole and shining brightly. She realized that she probably hadn’t sensed her best friend’s return because they likely weren’t in the same time period when he had come through the Void. As worried as she was about the effect the reality hopping was doing to both Universes, she couldn’t help but smile brightly in happiness at the news that she could see her best friend again. She had missed him dearly over the past few months, the echo of losing him in the shadows of her mind at every moment of every day, like all the others she had lost over the past few years.

“And how’s JJ?” Seren asked, shaking herself out of her thoughts and turning to Mrs. Smith.

“JJ’s doing good.” Mrs. Smith replied with a proud smile. “He’s 4-years-old now and in primary school, loving every minute of it.”

“That’s great.” Seren said earnestly before a small frown crossed her face. “Wait, it’s been _3 years_ for you guys?”

“Yeah.” Mrs. Pierson said, nodding.

“What happened?” Seren asked, leaning forward in her chair slightly. “What is Uncle Pe - I mean _Pete_ – telling the Doctor?”

“Remember how, before you left, you warned us that there would be more Cybermen?” Mrs. Smith began. At Seren’s nod, she continued, “3-years ago, our time, we found them and sealed them in the factories, since we didn’t know what else to do with them.”

“Except, people found out and began to argue against our actions, saying that the Cybermen were still living beings and we should help them, not lock them away.” Mrs. Pierson continued.

“The debate went on for ages, and during that time, the Cybermen made plans of their own.” Mrs. Smith said. “They infiltrated our Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world and then disappeared.”

“It took the Cybermen 3 years to cross the Void, but you are able to pop back and forth within seconds.” Seren said frowning. “Must be the sheer mass of 5 million Cybermen crossing at once.” She sighed gravely. “This is not good.”

“What do you mean?” Mrs. Pierson asked with a frown.

“What are some of the changes your Earth is going through?” Seren asked instead. “On a global level.”

“The temperatures have risen by 2 degrees in the past six months and the ice caps are melting at a markedly faster rate.” Mrs. Smith replied with a frown. “Most people think it’s global warming, but it’s not, is it?”

“No.” Seren replied, shaking her head. “The Doctor had said it, travel between Universes is impossible. The barriers between the Universes are beginning to collapse, started by the Daleks with the Sphere followed by the Cybermen who mapped themselves onto this world. The barriers have become increasingly fragile, like spun glass, and every time you use the disks to jump through, you weaken it a little more and create a hole where you jump. Your planet, your Universe, is starting to boil. Keep going at the rate you are, _both_ worlds will fall into the Void.”

“So we have to stop the Cybermen, stop the Daleks, whatever they are, and seal the breach for good.” Mrs. Pierson summarized. “No pressure.”

“What are Daleks?” Mrs. Smith asked with a frown, seeing a minute hint of fear and hate on her counterpart’s face at the mention of the beings.

“They are a race of aliens that have only one goal – eradicate all life that is not Dalek. They are the sworn enemies of the Time Lords.” Seren replied quietly.

“But there is more to your fear and hate of them.” Mrs. Smith said knowingly.

“A Dalek was the one that killed me and Aludra in our past life during the Time War.” Seren said softly. “They killed us in a way that kept us from regenerating.”

“Aludra? Your past lives?” Mrs. Smith asked in confusion.

“In my past life, I was a Time Lady and the Doctor’s wife, Siwan was Aludra and our daughter.” Seren explained, receiving raised eyebrows from the Parallel twins. “Yeah, it takes a while to wrap your head around it.”

“And that was what drove the Doctor to fight in the Time War.” Mrs. Pierson said quietly in realization, her voice sympathetic. “After all, what man wouldn’t fight the Gods themselves when he loses his reasons for living – his wife and child?”

“Exactly.” Seren said quietly, looking at Mrs. Pierson. She frowned, looking at the Parallel version of Siwan closely. “You made your Choice.” She said in realization.

“Yeah, I did.” Mrs. Pierson said, nodding. “Three years ago, just after you guys left.”

“What happened?” Seren asked.

“I got shot.” Mrs. Pierson replied. “Just before we manage to trap the Cybermen in the factories, one of them managed to shoot me with its arm blaster.”

“Infuriated Uncle Pete and he sealed the factories himself before she woke up.” Mrs. Smith continued dryly. “Scared the crap out of everyone except Adam, Mickey and myself when she sat up and asked for a smoothie.”

“What? I had a craving.” Mrs. Pierson said defensively.

Seren laughed at their banter and the reaction Mrs. Pierson had received at reviving.

In the Lever Room, the Doctor, Pete and Jake appeared and Seren gave a sigh of relief at feeling the bond with the Doctor return. She shot to her feet and ran out of Yvonne’s office, straight into the Doctor’s arms.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

Siwan gasped as the remnant emptiness she had been feeling for the past several minutes disappeared, the bond that was missing blaze back to life.

“What is it?” Mickey asked quietly.

“Whoever had been missing is back.” Siwan replied quietly. “The bonds are back in place.”

“Oh, thank God.” Rose breathed in relief.

~*~*~*~

With Seren and the Doctor

“You two, guard the door.” Jake ordered a pair of commandos who nodded and moved to carry out the order.

“Oh, thank the Gods you’re okay!” Seren exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the Doctor’s neck and holding him tightly.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.” The Doctor said soothingly, holding her small body against his tightly and savouring her warmth. “Jackie? The girls?”

“They’re alive as far as I can tell. Aunt Jackie hasn’t been upgraded, I would feel it.” Seren replied, pulling back slightly and looking at him. “Mickey as well.”

“Call Jackie.” The Doctor said. “Hopefully, she can tell us where she is.”

Seren nodded and pulled her mobile out of her purse, dialling Jackie’s number before holding the device to her ear.

 _“Oh, my God, help me!”_ Jackie exclaimed in terror, answering the call.

Seren and the Doctor looked at each other and sighed in relief at the confirmation that the blonde was, indeed, still alive. The Doctor crouched slightly so that he could hear Jackie’s side of the conversation, one arm around Seren’s waist.

“Aunt Jackie, listen-” Seren started.

 _“They tried to download me but I ran away!”_ Jackie rambled in terror.

“Shush. Shush.” The Doctor said in a soothing tone. “Listen, where are you?”

 _“I don’t know!”_ Jackie exclaimed. _“Staircase!”_

“Yeah, which one?” The Doctor asked. “Is there any – any sort of sign, anything to identify it?”

 _“Yes, a fire extinguisher!”_ Jackie said.

“Yeah, that helps.” The Doctor said sarcastically while Seren bit back a snort.

“Aunt Jackie, anything a little more specific?” Seren asked.

 _“It says ‘N3’.”_ Jackie replied.

“North corner, staircase 3.” The Doctor said.

“Aunt Jackie, just stay low.” Seren said. “We’re trying our best.”

 _“Don’t leave me!”_ Jackie cried fearfully.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Jackie, we have to go.” Seren said regretfully before ending the call.

”Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler.” The Doctor said, looking at Pete while Seren locked her mobile and put it back into her purse.

“She's not my wife.” Pete said insistently.

“We were at the wedding.” The Doctor said. “You got her name wrong.” He ‘tsked’ mockingly before getting back on track and turning to Jake, taking the massive gun from him. “Now then, Jakey boy, if Seren and I can open up the bonding chamber on this thing, it'll work on polycarbide.”

“What’s polycarbide?” Jake asked in confusion.

“The skin of a Dalek.” Seren replied darkly.

Seren and the Doctor worked together, quickly and efficiently to open the gun and retask it to work on a Dalek. As they worked, they also came up with a plan to at least get Siwan, Rose and Mickey out of the Sphere Chamber and away from the Daleks.

“There, done.” The Doctor said, putting the final touches on the retasked gun and handing it back to Jake.

“You know what to do?” Seren asked, looking at Jake, Pete and the Parallel twins.

“Yeah.” Mrs. Smith replied, nodding.

“You two be careful.” Mrs. Pierson said.

“Always.” The Doctor said with a grin, attaching a sheet of white A4 paper to a stick. He turned to Seren and holding out his elbow, the grin still on his face. “Shall we, my love?”

“We shall.” Seren replied with a grin, looping her arm through the crook of his elbow.

The two left the Lever room and walked through the maze of corridors in silence. They stopped at a corner and the Doctor held the stick that the A4 paper was attached to out and waved it about almost comically.

“Sorry.” The Doctor said sheepishly, poking his head out and drawing the three Cybermen’s attention to him and Seren. “Only had a sheet of A4.”

“Same difference.” Seren said with a shrug, she and the Doctor stepping out into the corridor and in clear view of the Cybermen.

“Do you surrender?” A Cyberman asked, all three raising their arm blaster in warning and preparation to shoot if the answer was negative.

“We surrender…” The Doctor began, walking towards the Cybermen with Seren beside him. “Unto you…” he stopped directly in front of the Cyberman, face-to-face with the metal being. “A very good idea.”

Seren and the Doctor grinned brightly at the Cybermen.

~*~*~*~

With Siwan, Rose and Mickey

The four Daleks disconnected from the Ark and moved away from it.

 _“Final stage of awakening!”_ A Dalek announced.

 _“The daughter of the Doctor and Astraea’s handprint will open the Ark_.” The Black Dalek ordered, turning to look at Siwan.

“Heck no!” Siwan said indignantly. “I am not going anywhere near that thing!”

 _“Obey or the humans will die!”_ The Black Dalek warned.

Siwan sighed quietly, her suspicion of why Rose, Mickey and Rajesh had been kept alive being confirmed – they were being used as leverage against her, to make her do what the Daleks wanted.

Fine.” Siwan muttered, stepping towards the Ark.

“No, don’t!” Mickey yelled, reaching out and grabbing her arm to keep her from getting any closer to the Ark.

“I can’t let them hurt you.” Siwan said softly, turning to look at the three of them. “Any of you.”

Mickey reluctantly let her go and Siwan turned around, walking towards the Ark.

 _“Place your hand upon the casket.”_ The Black Dalek ordered.

“I know!” Siwan shouted, angry and frustrated, reaching out to the Genesis Ark.

“Siwan, please don’t.” Rose pleaded, gripping Rajesh and Mickey’s arms in terror.

“You can’t let them open that thing.” Rajesh said. “You said it yourself that whatever they have planned for the Ark won’t be good for anyone.”

“I know, but I can’t let them hurt any of you either.” Siwan said softly, her reluctance to comply with the Daleks clear on her face and in her posture.

Unknown to Mickey, Rose and Rajesh, Siwan’s mind raced a million miles a minute, trying to come up with a way to stall for time. She knew she had to stall long enough until the Doctor and Seren could get them out of the Sphere Chamber. Siwan, like Seren, wasn’t often one to wait around to be rescued, but she knew that in this case, they had no choice but to wait. All she had to do was by some time by stalling.

“You escaped the Time War, I’m guessing you don’t know what happened.” Siwan said suddenly, turning to the Daleks and lowering her hand, keeping it away from the Ark.

 _“Place your hand –”_ The Black Dalek ordered.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to the Emperor?” Siwan asked with an expression of innocent curiosity.

 _“The Emperor survived?”_ The Black Dalek asked in a tone that could be called surprise.

“Yes, he did.” Siwan replied with a sweet smile before it turned into a smirk. “Until he met Astraea, my mother. She took the Time Vortex and poured it into his mind, turning him into dust. Him and his entire fleet of 200 ships. Do you understand that? The God of all Daleks and my mother destroyed them with barely a thought.”

Rose started laughing at the stunned silence that had befallen the Daleks at Siwan’s words, seeing the irony of the situation.

 _“The daughter of Astraea will be exterminated!”_ The Black Dalek cried, aiming its laser at Siwan.

Rose stopped laughing abruptly, gripping Rajesh and Mickey’s hands in terror. Siwan gasped in fear, staring in wide-eyed horror at the laser as it powered up.

“Do that and you won’t like what happens next.” A male voice called, the dark threat and promise clear for all to hear.

The Daleks and their hostages turned in unison to the source of the voice and saw the Doctor and Seren, arms interlocked, standing in the doorway of the Sphere Chamber. The Doctor had his free hand in his pocket and his 3D specs on his face while Seren had her drawstring purse swinging lightly from her wrist. Both looked as though they didn’t have a care in the world, but those that knew the couple best could see the stiffness in their shoulders and the near predatorily dark laser focus they had on the four Daleks.

Their eyes swirled with their hidden power, the Doctor’s normally warm brown eyes cold and swirling with the power of the Oncoming Storm while Seren’s gold-rimmed amethyst eyes were hard and swimming with the combined power of the Mara and the Time Vortex that coursed through her. She also had a faint golden glow around her, the shimmer of Vortex energy from her veins becoming more prominent at the threat to her family.

 _“Alert! Alert! You are the Doctor and Astraea!”_ The Black Dalek cried.

“That’s ‘Bad Wolf’ to you.” Seren said, her eyes glowing gold for a moment before returning to their normal gold-rimmed amethyst colour.

“Oh, thank the Gods!” Siwan cried in relief, seeing the couple. “What took you so long?”

The Doctor and Seren strode into the room, their attention firmly on Siwan, Rose and Mickey seemingly unaware of anything else. The couple pulled them into a tight group hug, their stiff postures loosening somewhat at the tangible evidence that their loved ones were safe, their _daughter_ was safe. Slowly, they pulled apart but stayed within touching distance of each other, the Doctor and Seren’s fingers interlocked.

 _“Sensors report they are unarmed.”_ Dalek Thay states, scanning the Doctor and Seren.

“That’s us.” The Doctor said with a grin, glancing towards the Daleks. “Always.”

Because Seren had her Bo-Staffs in her purse, they didn’t register to the Dalek’s scans.

 _“Then you are powerless.”_ The Black Dalek said.

“Not us.” The Doctor refuted, removing his 3D specs. “Never!”

“Rose, how are you?” Seren asked, looking up at the blonde.

“Oh, you know, same old.” Rose said, grinning brightly in relief.

“Good.” The Doctor said with a grin before looking at Mickey. “And Mickity McMickey! Nice to see ya!”

“And you, boss.” Mickey replied, grinning as he and the Time Lord fist bumped.

“Rajesh.” The Doctor said, turning to the Torchwood employee and speaking with a decidedly cooler tone of voice.

“Are you alright?” Seren asked, looking at Rajesh with concern and knowing how difficult it could be to come to terms with everything he’d had to face over the past few hours.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Rajesh replied nodding.

He silently vowed to do whatever he could to make up for what Torchwood had done, what Torchwood had caused in their quest for power no matter how justified it may have felt at the time. His entire tenure at Torchwood, he had read up about the Doctor and Seren. At the same time, he had seen them from a different perspective through Siwan’s carefully edited stories about her sister and her boyfriend, seeing them as two people who were in love with each other but oblivious to it growing as individuals to eventually admitting their love for one another and growing together as a couple.

 _“Social interaction will cease!”_ Dalek Thay shouted.

 _“How did you survive the Time War?”_ The Black Dalek asked, looking at the Doctor and Seren.

“By fighting… on the front line.” The Doctor replied, all traces of joviality gone from his face. Mickey turned and looked at him, hearing the pain in the Time Lord’s voice. “I was there at the Fall of Arcadia. Someday, I might even come to terms with that.”

Seren tightened her grip on his hand, silently offering comfort to him while Siwan reached out and took his free hand. While neither remembered much of their past lives, and the Fall of Arcadia occurring after they had died, they knew just how terrible the War had been and how terrible that particular battle was. The rare times the Doctor slept and was woken up by his nightmares, Seren and Siwan would sit with him and comfort him, encouraging him to talk about what had happened so that they could share the burden with him, Seren in particular.

“But you lot ran away!” Seren said mockingly.

 _“We had to survive.”_ The Black Dalek said.

“The last four Daleks in existence.” The Doctor said, looking at the four Daleks. “So what’s so special about you?”

“They have _names_.” Siwan informed the Doctor and Seren. “There’s some importance to that, but I can’t remember what.”

“The Cult of Skaro.” Seren breathed with wide eyes, completely stunned.

 _“I am Dalek Thay.”_ Dalek Thay said.

 _“Dalek Sec.”_ The Black Dalek said.

 _“Dalek Jast.”_ The third Dalek said.

 _“Dalek Caan.”_ The last Dalek said.

“I thought you were just a legend!” The Doctor exclaimed in stunned amazement.

“Hi, humans who have no idea what you’re talking about and your daughter who doesn’t have all her memories, right here.” Siwan said, drawing the Doctor and Seren’s attention to her. “What’s the Cult of Skaro?”

“A secret order above and beyond the Emperor himself.” Seren began.

“Their job was to imagine, think as the enemy thinks.” The Doctor continued.

“They even dared to have names.”

“All to find new ways of killing.” The Doctor finished, a glare planted on his face.

“But that thing, they said it was yours.” Mickey spoke up, gesturing towards the Ark. “I mean, Time Lords. They built it. What does it do?”

“I don’t know. Never seen it before.” The Doctor replied.

“Don’t recognize it.” Seren said shrugging. “Though that could just be because of my memories.”

“But it’s… Time Lord.” Rajesh said with a frown, not understanding how the Doctor couldn’t recognize something from his own world – Seren he could understand since she said herself that she didn’t have all her memories.

“Both sides had secrets.” Siwan said softly. “Like with any war.”

“Exactly.” The Doctor agreed, turning to the Daleks. “What is it? What have you done?”

 _“Time Lord Science will restore Dalek supremacy.”_ Dalek Sec said.

“What does that mean?” The Doctor asked, shaking his head in confusion. “What sort of Time Lord Science? What d’you mean?”

“The only theme that is consistent in all Time Lord Technology is that it’s bigger on the inside.” Seren said with a frown.

“Siwan mentioned that one touch from a time traveller could awaken the Ark.” Rajesh piped up helpfully.

“Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do – touch.” The Doctor said ponderingly. He leaned in and looked directly into Dalek Sec’s eyestalk while keeping the twins behind him. Subtly, he took Siwan’s clutch purse from her and tucked it into his pocket, leaving her hands free. “Sealed inside your casing, not feeling anything… ever. From birth to death, locked inside a cold, metal cage, completely alone. That explains your voice. No wonder you _scream_.”

Seren and Siwan exchanged looks, sensing the Time Lord’s desire to do more than scare the Daleks for having held the Welshwoman, Rose and Mickey hostage.

 _“The Doctor and Bad Wolf will open the Ark!”_ Dalek Sec shouted.

“The Doctor and Bad Wolf will not.” The Doctor retorted laughing contemptuously at the mere _idea_ that he would do such a thing. “You _threatened_ our _daughter_ , you’re lucky to still be alive right now.”

By the time he finished speaking and delivering his threat, once again all traces of humour were gone from his face and was replaced with cold, unbridled fury. Seren was gazing at the Daleks with the same cold, unbridled fury, silently supporting her beloved’s promise. Her eyes also shone gold, the shimmer of Vortex energy swirling gently along her skin.

 _“You have no way of resisting!”_ Dalek Sec said, though the four Daleks moved back several paces at the threat, the expressions on the couple’s faces and the energy that swirled along Seren’s skin.

“Well...you got me there. Although…” The Doctor said, pulling the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and holding it up. “There is always this.”

 _“A sonic probe?”_ Dalek Sec asked.

Seren and Siwan actually snorted in amusement at that. Despite the situation they found themselves in, standing against two alien races ready to destroy one another, they couldn’t help but find amusement at the Doctor’s beloved sonic screwdriver being called a probe.

“That’s ‘screwdriver’.” The Doctor corrected, looking highly offended.

Rose and Mickey couldn’t hold back their own snorts of amusement at the Time Lord’s utterly offended expression.

 _“It is harmless.”_ Dalek Sec said dismissively.

“Oh, yes. ‘Harmless’ is just the word.” The Doctor agreed cheerfully, tossing the screwdriver back and forth from hand to hand. “That's why I like it! Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim.”

"But it does injure you when Mica gets her hands on it and whacks you." Siwan said, holding back her laughter.

"Hey, that girl has got a vey strong arm." The Doctor said defensively, remembering their visit home following Mickey's decision to stay in the Parallel World. Mica had managed to get her hands on the screwdriver and proceeded to use it to whack him repeatedly on the head until Seren had stopped laughing long enough to wrangle it from her tight grasp. "Anyway," he turned back to the Daleks, ignoring Rose and the twins who were giggling uncontrollably in amusement at the memory. “I'll tell you what it does do. It is _very_ good at opening doors.”

He raised it and flicked it on, the blue tip lighting up and buzzing quietly. The very next second, the doors exploded inwards, sending a cloud of dust through the room. Jake, his commandos, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Pierson and a group of Cybermen leapt into the chamber and fired their weapons at the Daleks. The Doctor, Seren, Siwan, Rose, Mickey and Rajesh dove to the ground to avoid the blasts, the Time Lord curled around the twins protectively while Mickey was similarly curled around Rose.

“Delete. Delete. Delete.” The Cybermen said in unison.

Mrs. Smith, carrying the modified gun, fired at Dalek Jast.

 _“Alert! Casing impaired!”_ Dalek Jast cried. _“Casing impaired!”_

The Doctor rose to his feet, taking Seren and Siwan’s hands and pulling them towards the emergency blast door, the two women using their free hands to hold up their skirts as they ran.

“Rose, Mickey, Rajesh! Get out!” Seren yelled over her shoulder, ducking under a spray of debris and weapons fire.

 _“Fire power insufficient!”_ Dalek Sec shouted. _“Fire power insufficient!”_

Rose made a run for the door but stumbled, falling to the ground near the Genesis Ark. Pete ducked beneath the weapons blast and grabbed her by the waist, helping her up.

“Come on.” Pete said, trying not to think of the instinctive way he had reacted while running with her to the door.

Mickey dove across the floor and grabbed his gun while Rajesh made a mad dash for the door, Jake covering his exit and running sideways beside him.

“Daleks will be deleted.” A Cyberman said in a mechanical voice, firing its arm blaster at the remaining Daleks. “Delete. Delete. Delete.”

“Mickey, come on!” Mrs. Pierson yelled, running across the room towards the door.

Mrs. Smith ran beside her, running sideways while continuously firing beam after beam of energy from the modified gun.

 _“Adapt to weaponry!”_ Dalek Thay ordered.

A force-field covered the Daleks for a second before fading.

“No longer working!” Mrs. Smith yelled when the beam from her gun had no effect on the Daleks.

She lowered the gun and darted to the door where Pete, Rose, the Doctor, the twins, Jake and Rajesh already were.

“Mickey! Hurry!” Siwan yelled, seeing that he was the only one left in the Chamber.

Mickey got to his feet with his gun in one hand, starting to run towards the door.

 _“Fire power restored!”_ Dalek Sec cried, firing the laser beam at a Cyberman and killing it.

The Cyberman fell to the ground and hit Mickey, causing him to stumble from the sudden blow against his side. He fell forward and held his hand out to steady himself, only to touch the Ark as he caught his balance. Gasping in pain at the burn on his hand, he dashed through the dust and rubble towards the door, making out just as Jake’s commandos were one after the other.

 _“Cybermen primary target!”_ Dalek Sec ordered.

The last of the commandos dove through the door seconds before the Doctor sealed the emergency blast door, sealing the Daleks and Cybermen within.

“Jake, protect the stairwell!” The Doctor yelled to the man. “The rest of you, come on!”

Jake nodded at his order, taking the modified gun from Mrs. Smith and ran in one direction while the rest ran in the opposite direction.

“I just fell, I didn’t mean to!” Mickey said apologetically as they ran.

“Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force.” The Doctor said reassuringly.

To do that, they'd have blown up the sun.” Seren added, holding her skirt up with one hand as she ran. Her shimmer had receded back into her skin, once again a light shine along her veins and arteries.

“You've done us a favour!” The Doctor said earnestly, kissing the top of Mickey’s head before stepping away and taking Seren’s free hand in his. “Now, run!”

“You will be upgraded.” A Cyberman said from around the corner.

They all exchanged looks and silently turned to head down another corridor when a quiet whimper stopped them in their tracks.

“No, but you can’t.”

“Mum!” Rose yelled in recognition the same time both sets of twins yelled, “Aunt Jackie!”

Rose and both sets of twins dashed towards the sound of Jackie’s voice, the rest of the group following close behind.

“Please.” Jackie whimpered, backed against the wall and squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

Pete grabbed the gun from Mickey and strode forward, standing in front of the group as he aimed the gun at the Cybermen’s backs, shooting them without hesitation.

A cloud of dust rose and filled the immediate area. Jackie squinted to try and see through it, hoping and praying that her girls were safe. She slowly stepped through the dust cloud, moving around the dead Cybermen and looking at the shadowed group in front of her, her gaze drawn to the man holding the gun who had clearly been the one that saved her.

The man lowered the gun, revealing the face of a man who had died 20 years earlier.

“Pete?!” She breathed in shock, her wide-eyed gaze on her husband and no-one else.

Jackie didn’t see her daughter or the two versions of her god-daughters, nor did she see the young man whom she was told they would never see again. All she could see was the image of her husband, standing in front of her, dressed in a smart suit and holding himself with a confidence that she hadn’t seen before.

“Hello, Jacks.” Pete said with a smile, seeing his wife for the first time since she had died three years earlier.

“I said there were ghosts, but that’s not fair.” Jackie moaned, finally noticing her girls and the Doctor behind Pete. “Why him?”

She didn’t notice the twins’ Parallel counterparts since they were mostly behind Mickey and Rajesh, out of her line of sight.

“I’m not a ghost.” Pete said reassuringly.

“But you’re dead!” Jackie exclaimed, remembering her crippling sorrow, the days where she felt she couldn’t go on without him but pulled through for the sake of her daughter and with the support of her best friends, Ifan and Glenda. “You died 20 years ago, Pete.”

“It's Pete from a different Universe.” The Doctor tried to explain delicately, stepping forward tentatively. “There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where-"

Seren stepped forward and reached up to cover the Doctor’s mouth with her hand, keeping him from saying anything else that would completely ruin the moment between Jackie and Pete.

“Shush, don’t ruin it.” Rajesh hissed, seeing the questioning look on the Time Lord’s face.

Seren’s hand still on his mouth, the Doctor nodded in understanding and stepped back, all of them watching the moment between Jackie and Pete.

“Oh… you look old.” Jackie breathed, still looking at Pete and not making any indication that she had noticed the by-play behind him.

“You don’t.” Pete said, taking in the differences between this version of his wife and the one who had died 3 years earlier.

This Jackie carried herself with an aura of a woman who had fought tooth and nail to give her daughter a good life, who struggled against all odds and come through stronger, taking in and raising her god-daughters as well. This Jackie had spent night after night, plagued by nightmares of what her girls could be facing on their adventures, some nights not even sleeping at all from fear and worry.

The Jackie of his Universe, the one who had died 3 years earlier, hadn’t faced the challenges and obstacles that would have shattered a weaker person. She hadn’t faced the worry and sleepless nights like this Jackie had. This Jackie was so much stronger than the one from his Universe, this one having had no choice but to push through and become stronger for the sake of her daughter.

“How can you be standing there?” Jackie asked, confusion and pain swimming in her blue eyes.

“I just got lucky… lived my life.” Pete replied, shrugging lightly and looking at Jackie with a tender expression on his face. “But you were left on your own. You didn't marry again, or…?”

“There was never anyone else.” Jackie replied, shaking her head. “20 years, though. Look at me, I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself.”

“You brought her up.” Pete said, nodding to Rose who was standing behind him and to his right. “Rose Tyler. And you were there for your versions of the twins and Rhi after Ifan and Glenda died. That’s not bad.”

The Doctor, Mickey, Seren and Siwan glanced at Rose and smiled, knowing how difficult it had been for the young blonde to be near her father and not even be acknowledged by him.

“Yeah.” Jackie agreed in a whisper, not about to regret the years she spent bringing up and raising her four darling girls – three may have been her god-daughters but she loved them just as much as she loved Rose, all four were her babies.

“In my world... it worked.” Pete said with a wry smile. “All those daft little plans of mine, it worked. Made me rich.”

“I don’t care about that.” Jackie said before pausing for a moment, “How rich?”

“Very.” Pete replied.

“I don’t care about that.” Jackie decided before pausing again, “How very?”

Pete laughed, the sound echoed by their audience who exchanged exasperated smiles and eye rolls.

“Thing is though, Jacks.” Pete started, his laughter fading a pained expression crossing his face. “You’re – You’re not my wife. I’m sorry, but you’re not. I mean, we both…” Jackie nodded at his words, fighting her tears but knowing he was speaking the truth. “You know, it’s just sort of…” He gave up trying to listen to his mind, deciding to follow his heart as he tossed the gun to the side. “Oh, come here!”

Pete and Jackie ran towards each other, meeting in the middle and he swept her into his arms. They hugged each other tightly, savouring the feel of the other – one after 20 years and the other after 3 years.

Their audience smiled widely at the reunion, each feeling a little bit lighter at the small joy that was found amid the horrors of the day.

“Yay!” Seren and Siwan cheered, clapping happily.

The others cheered as well, the girls all clapping happily at the sight of Jackie and Pete together.

Slowly, Pete and Jackie separated from their hug and looked at their grinning audience.

“There’s two of you?!” Jackie exclaimed in shock, finally noticing the Parallel versions of the twins.

Her comment combined with her shocked expression sent the entire group into peals of laughter, the sound echoing through the corridor.

“We’re the Parallel Universe’s versions of the twins.” Mrs. Smith explained through her giggles. “I’m Seren Smith while my Siwan is Siwan Pierson. In our Universe, the two of us are real twins.”

“To avoid confusion, while we’re here, I’m going by Mrs. Pierson while my Seren goes by Mrs. Smith.” Mrs. Pierson added, her laughter slowing to giggles.

“‘Mrs.’” Jackie repeated, stunned. “You’re both married?! To who?”

“I’m widowed, actually.” Mrs. Smith said with a sad smile. “He was a scientist named John Smith.”

“And I’m married to my version of Adam.” Mrs. Pierson said, drawing the attention away from the painful topic of her deceased brother-in-law.

Jackie nodded, looking incredibly faint.

“We should get going.” Seren said, bringing everyone back on topic. “It won’t be long before the Cybermen get their metal arses kicked by the Cult. And we still have no idea what’s in the Ark.”

Everyone nodded and they began running down the corridor once again, the same direction they had initially been going.

“Where are we going?” Jackie asked, her hand interlocked with Pete as they ran beside each other with Rose on his other side.

“The warehouse!” The Doctor yelled back, leading the group. “I need something that’s in there!”

Seren and Siwan were on either side of the Doctor, holding their skirts up over their knees as they ran.

“According the CCTV footage, that entire place is filled with Cybermen.” Mrs. Smith said, her and Mrs. Pierson running behind the trio. “How do you plan on avoiding all the laser fire?”

“No idea!” The Doctor admitted, shooting her a bright, manic grin over his shoulder.

“Seren, you’re boyfriend’s completely insane!” Rajesh yelled from the back of the group, he and Mickey bringing up the rear.

“I know!” Seren yelled back, a bright smile on her face. “I wouldn’t have him any other way!”

Before anyone could say anything else, they reached the warehouse doors and skidded to stop. Seren opened the door a crack and peeked in, the Doctor looking in over her head.

Just as Mrs. Smith had said, the warehouse was filled with Cybermen. They were fighting the Cult of Skaro, getting destroyed without any effect to the Daleks, while the Torchwood security force fought against both races.

“See the crate with the Magnaclamps?” The Doctor whispered to Seren.

“Yeah.” Seren whispered back, seeing the crate in question a few feet away.

“I need to get to it.” The Doctor said. “I need those Magnaclamps.”

“One problem.” Siwan whispered, peeking into the warehouse from beneath the Doctor’s arm. “There’s at least a dozen Cybermen firing their lasers between us and the crate. And that’s not factoring in the Daleks’ laser fire or the security forces’ weapons fire.” The three of them moved back and let the door quietly fall shut. “How do you propose to get to the crate without ending up dead? And Seren and I can’t gymnastics our way through it in these clothes, unless you want us to strip.”

“Not happening!” The Doctor, Pete and Jackie said in firm unison.

“Siwan and I have gymnastic skills.” Mrs. Smith said as Mrs. Pierson nodded in agreement.

“Great.” The Doctor said, motioning them over while Seren and Siwan moved back to give them room. He opened the door a crack and the Parallel twins peeked into the room. “See that crate?” At their nods, he continued, “I need the clamps that are inside. Think you can get to them and back without getting hit?”

“You bet.” Mrs. Pierson said with a grin.

The Parallel twins stepped into the room, ducking to avoid a laser beam before straightening up. Gaging where the Cybermen, the Daleks and the security force were, the two performed a series of graceful flips and twists as they vaulted across the short distance to the crate while avoiding the weapons fire. Grabbing the clamps, they performed another series of twists and flips as they made their way back.

Reaching the door, the Doctor opened it wide enough for them to slip through before closing the door.

“That was amazing.” The Doctor said with a grin, taking in the Parallel twins’ flushed faces and bright smiles. “Thanks.”

“That was fun.” Mrs. Smith said, an exhilarated laugh escaping her lips.

“Yeah.” Mrs. Pierson agreed.

“Can you two please not give me a heart attack?!” Pete exclaimed, looking at the Parallel twins with an expression of complete exasperation. He had one hand on his chest, trying to calm his racing heart while holding Jackie’s hand tightly with the other.

“Sorry.” Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Pierson muttered in unison, looking suitably chastised for having scared the man.

“Got what you need?” Mickey asked, looking at the Doctor.

“Just about.” The Doctor replied, handing the clamps to Seren and pulling his 3D specs out of his pocket. “Hold on just a tick.” He put the specs on and opened the door again, peeking into the warehouse.

Behind him, the rest of the group exchanged looks, wondering what he was doing. They all looked at Seren, the one who knew the Time Lord best but she just shrugged in response to their silent question, just as clueless as they were.

 _“Override roof mechanism.”_ They heard Dalek Sec call through the open door. They peered in through the door over the Doctor’s head and looked up as the roof shutters began slide back. _“El-ev-ate!”_

“What’re they doing?” Rose asked. “Why’d they need to go outside?” She looked down at Seren who was crouching beside the Doctor and peeking in to the warehouse. “Seren, do you know?”

“No idea.” Seren replied, shaking her head

“Time Lord Tech? What Time Lord Tech did they steal?” The Doctor asked completely baffled. He pulled of his 3D specs and looked back up, watching as the Daleks floated upwards with the Genesis Ark. “What is it?!” He slammed the door shut and began running down the hall, the rest of the group following behind him. “We've got to see what it's doing. We've got to go back up! Come on! All of you, top floor!”

“That’s 45 floors up!” Jackie yelled, not breaking her running stride. “Believe me, I’ve done ‘em all!”

“I have never been gladder than I am now that Duncan insisted we learn how to run and fight in high heels.” Siwan said, holding her dress up over her knees with one hand while holding her clutch purse tightly in the other.

“Tell me about it!” Seren said in wholehearted agreement.

With the amount of running that was involved when it came to life with the Doctor and the TARDIS, Seren would have probably broken her leg, if not her neck, if she hadn’t been able to run and fight in the high heels she loved to wear.

They had just run past the lift when Jake poked his head out, holding the doors open with one hand.

“We could always take the lift.” He said cheekily, stopping the group in their tracks.

The group back tracked and ran into the lift, taking it back to the top of the building. Getting off at the top, they continued to run through the corridors and into Yvonne’s office, congregating by the floor-to-ceiling windows and looking out at the Daleks, the Doctor pausing long enough to put the Magnaclamps on the desk.

They watched in wide-eyed horror as the Genesis Ark opened and revealed another Dalek. The Ark began to spin in the air, shooting out Dalek after Dalek as it continued to spin around.

“Seren, you were right.” The Doctor breathed in horror. “It’s bigger on the inside.”

“Did the Time Lords put those Daleks in there?” Mickey asked, receiving nods from the Doctor and Seren in response. “What for?”

“It’s a Prison Ship.” Siwan said in realization. “That’s what Dalek Sec meant when he said that inside the Ark was the future.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but how many Daleks are in that thing?” Rajesh asked hesitantly.

“Millions.” Siwan replied quietly.

“I had to ask.” Rajesh groaned, looking decidedly ashen-faced.

They watched helplessly and in growing horror as the Daleks spread out over the city of London. From the ground, the Cybermen shot their lasers into the sky, the beams having no effect on the Daleks.

 _“Exterminate all lifeforms below!”_ Dalek Sec ordered. _“Exterminate!”_

The released Daleks retaliated against the Cybermen, filling the streets with mass chaos and destruction. The residence of London huddled in their homes, holding each other close and terror gripping them as they heard the battle being raged outside their walls.

Those that were in the streets ran for cover, trying to avoid the laser fire from the Cybermen and from the Daleks. Many were unable to get to cover and were killed, either by the crossfire or from being targeted by the Daleks. ‘Exterminate!’ echoed through the air as the Daleks killed everything in their path, without hesitation or prejudice.

Seren, Siwan, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Pierson gritted their teeth as the emotional feedback of the rising death toll began to batter against their mental shields. It was taking every ounce of their strength and training to keep their shields in place, to keep themselves from getting drowned by the pain that was flooding the city.

“I'm sorry, but you've had it - this world's going to crash and burn.” Pete said, shaking his head and turning away from the window. He walked out of the room with everyone following him except for the Doctor. “There's nothing we can do. We're going home.” He took a yellow medallion from a commando. “Jacks, take this.” He tossed the medallion to Jackie who caught it reflexively. “You’re coming with us.”

“But they’re destroying the city!” Jackie protested.

“I’d forgotten you can argue.” Pete said tenderly, taking the medallion and looping the chain around her neck.

“It’s not just London, Aunt Jackie – it’s the whole world.” Seren said softly, her hands curled into tight fists – the only indication of her struggle to keep her shields in place.

“But there’s another world, just waiting for you, Jacks.” Pete said, cupping Jackie’s face with his larger hands and making her look at him. “And it’s safe, as long as the Doctor and the twins close the breach.” He looked towards the Time Lord who was still gazing out of the window. “Doctor?”

The Doctor spun around to face them, once again wearing his 3D spectacles.

“Oh, I’m ready.” He said with a right, manic grin.

“Good, because we’re ready to pass out.” Mrs. Pierson said through gritted teeth, sitting on a chair next to her twin.

Both Parallel twins were gripping the table tightly, taking short and shallow breaths to try and combat their rising pain. Seren and Siwan were in a marginally better situation, their connection to Idris allowing their shields to be much stronger, but that only meant that the pain was a few levels lower than their counterparts’.

“We’ve got the equipment right here.” The Doctor said, bounding to the terminal the twins were sitting next to. “Thank you, Torchwood.” He began rapidly typing away on the keyboard, setting up the program they needed. “Slam it down and close off both Universes.”

‘Reboot systems.’ The computer’s automated voice echoed through the Lever Room.

“But we can’t just leave.” Rose argued. “What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?”

“They’re part of the problem.” The Doctor said, straightening up. “And that makes them part of the solution.” He looked at Seren and grinned brightly. “Oh, yes!” The Doctor cheered excitedly, looking at the group. “Well? Isn’t anyone going to ask?!” he pointed to his 3D spectacles. “What is it with the glasses?”

“What is it with the glasses?” Seren asked with a small smile, her face pinched with pain.

“I can _see_!” The Doctor exclaimed “That’s what! ‘Cos we’ve got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we’ve got the Void. That’s where the Daleks were hiding, and the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot,” he waved a hand at the Universe hopping group, huddled around the Parallel twins in silent support. “One world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that.” He said, becoming momentarily side-tracked. “‘Via the Void’. Look!” He pulled off his glasses and pressed them gently onto Seren’s face. “I’ve been through it. D’you see?” He moved around playfully, the 3D glasses showing green particles floating all around him.

‘Reboot in three minutes.’

“Void stuff.” Seren said with a light laugh, reaching out to try and touch him.

 “Like um… background radiation?” Rose asked.

“That’s it.” Seren said with a pained smile as the Doctor took the glasses off her and put them on Rose.

“Look at the others.” The Doctor said. Rose turned and looked over at Jake, Mickey, Pete, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Pierson, Pete, Jackie and Rajesh. All of them were surrounded by the Void stuff except for Jackie and Rajesh. Glancing towards Siwan who was sitting on a chair a few feet away, Rose noticed that she wasn’t surrounded by the Void stuff either. “The only ones who haven’t been through the Void… your mother, Rajesh and Siwan. First time Jackie’s looked normal in her life.”

“Oi!” Jackie shouted indignantly, glaring at him.

The Doctor dashed over to the white wall, looking at it as Rose followed behind him and stopped in the middle of the room.

“The Daleks lived inside the Void.” Seren explained in a quiet, pained voice. Jackie reached out and took her hand, letting the younger woman grip it tightly while Siwan gripped Mickey’s hand. “They’re positively bristling with the Void stuff. The Cybermen as well from the amount of time it took them to cross the Void.”

"We just open the Void and reverse." The Doctor called, spinning around to look at the room’s occupants. "The Void Stuff gets sucked back inside!"

“Pulling them all in!” Rose shouted enthusiastically.

“Pulling them all in.” Siwan confirmed, nodding.

“Sorry, what’s the Void?” Mickey asked with a pained expression on his face, the grip Siwan had on his hand becoming painfully tight.

“The dead space.” The Doctor said.

“Some people call it Hell.” Seren added helpfully.

“Or the Abyss.” Siwan said.

“So, you’re sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell?” Mickey asked in confirmation, using his free hand to loop his medallion around his neck. He glanced over at Jake, a small smirk on his face. “Man, I told you they were good!”

“But it's… like you said.” Rose said quietly, looking down at her hand. Seren and Siwan sighed quietly and got to their feet, moving to stand on either side of the Doctor as they looked at Rose. “We've all got Void stuff. Seren and I too, ‘cos we went to that Parallel world.” She flexed her finger, seeing the Void stuff surrounding her hand before pulling off the glasses, seeing the Doctor and the twins standing in front of her. “Except for Siwan, we're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in.”

“Rose, that’s why you have to go with Uncle Pete and Aunt Jackie.” Seren said quietly, taking Rose’s hands in her own.

‘Reboot in two minutes.’

“Back to Pete’s world.” The Doctor agreed before pointing to Pete. “Hey, we should call it that, ‘Pete’s World’.” He turned back to Rose. “The twins and I are opening the breach, but only on this side.”

“Which means you, Aunt Jackie and Pete will be safe on that side.” Seren finished.

 “You and Siwan aren’t coming?!” Jackie asked, looking at the twins with wide eyes.

“We can’t Aunt Jackie.” Siwan said sadly, shaking her head. “There are already versions of us that exist there.” She gestured to the Parallel twins who were gripping Jake and Pete’s hands tightly. “Versions of us that are also Chosen Ones.”

“If Siwan and I were to go there, the Mara wouldn’t be able to sustain all four of us. It would over tax them, upsetting the balance of that Universe and cause a catastrophic reaction that would result in all four of us dying. The Mara would retaliate and kill everyone before plunging that world into an eternal Ice Age.” Seren explained, her voice filled with sorrow. “It hadn’t happened the last time because we weren’t there for very long and Siwan hadn’t been with us.”

In addition to Siwan not having been with them during that ‘trip’, Mrs. Pierson also hadn’t made her Choice at that time, keeping the balance of that Universe relatively stable and allowing the Mara to be able to sustain Seren and Mrs. Smith efficiently.

“No! No!” Jackie shouted, shaking her head and stalking towards the twins, stopping beside Rose. She didn’t understand half of what the twins just said, only that they wouldn’t be going to the Parallel world with her and Rose. “I promised your parents I would always be there for you, protect you. I’m not leaving you!”

“Aunt Jackie,” Seren said, tears shining in her eyes. “The Parallel version of you made that same vow to the Parallel versions of Mam and Tad. That Jackie died, but you can fulfil the vow, as if you were fulfilling it with us.”

Jackie looked between _her_ twins and the Parallel twins for a long second before nodding slowly, her sorrow and pain evident on her face. She was only doing it so that all four had a chance to survive, to live.

“And then you close it, for good?” Pete asked as Rose continued to stare numbly at the Doctor and the twins, barely registering Jackie’s presence beside her.

“The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff.” The Doctor said, nodding and turning to look at Pete. “In the end, it’ll close itself. And that’s it. Kaput.”

“But you and the twins stay on this side?” Rose asked quietly, looking at the Doctor and the twins as she slowly began to realize what she was being told.

“But you and Seren’ll get pulled in!” Mickey pointed out worriedly. “You two are covered in the Void stuff as well.”

“That’s why…” The Doctor said as he ran over to the table where he had placed the Magnaclamps and picked one up. “I had the Parallel twins grab these. My twins and I’ll just have to hold on tight.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard.” Seren said with a small smile, an echo of a memory crossing her mind. “We’ve been doing it all our lives.”

The Doctor grinned at her, realizing that she was remembering the personal bits and pieces of her past life. Jackie had once said, back in 1987, that Mickey would grab hold of whatever was passing and cling for dear life. He was much the same, once he became attached to something, he wouldn’t ever let go. He wouldn’t ever let go of his wife and daughter, especially not when he had just found them again after losing them once.

“Pete, can I go to with you?” Rajesh asked hesitantly.

“Sure, Seren’s got a medallion you can use.” Pete replied, nodding.

Seren took her medallion from her purse and handed it to Rajesh, a look of sorrow on her face.

“Rajesh, what about your family?” Siwan asked, whipping around to look at the scientist with tear-filled eyes. “Your nieces? Your nephews? If you go, you’ll never see them again!”

“Siwan, I can’t stay here.” Rajesh said softly, his voice tinged with sorrow and regret as he looped the chain around his neck. “Torchwood caused all of this. Most of the people that worked here just wanted to serve their country, they just wanted to save the world. But it was our own ego, our own ambition that caused this.” He walked towards her and cupped her face, wiping away the few tears that had fallen from her large made-up eyes. “If, in that Parallel world, I can help to keep something like this from happening, if I can do some good that can hopefully make up for all the death that Torchwood caused, I want to be able to have that chance. Hopefully, in that Universe, I’ll be able to find a way to live with the ghosts of my actions haunting my every moment.” He shook his head sadly, tears falling down his cheeks. “You’ve met my family, how can I look at my nieces and nephews when I know that I played a role that caused all of this?”

“What if – What if there’s already a version of you that exists there?” Siwan asked tearfully, bringing her hands up and covering his with her own.

“There isn’t.” Mrs. Pierson said softly, her voice filled with pain and sorrow. “Our version was upgraded like our Aunt Jackie had been. He’s gone.”

“What do I tell your family?” Siwan asked.

“Whatever it is that you tell them, don’t tell them that I’m dead.” Rajesh said. “I’d rather that they hold onto the hope that I’ll come home one day. If you tell them that I’m dead, they’ll have to bury an empty casket since they wouldn’t be able to perform my Final Rites.” He smiled tearfully. “And Grandma once said herself, she would rather light a candle in hope than a pyre in farewell.”

“I will.” Siwan said tearfully, reaching up to kiss his cheek before stepping back, away from him.

“I’m probably not going to get the chance to say this, but I love you, Siwan Jones.” Rajesh said, smiling tearfully. “I’ve loved you for a long time, and I’m happy that you found love with Adam, no matter how much I don’t like him.”

“I love you, Rajesh.” Siwan said through her tears. “You are one of my closest friends.”

“No matter what, I always will be.” Rajesh vowed, kissing her forehead tenderly before pulling her into a tight hug.

“I’m supposed to go.” Rose said, her voice shaking with suppressed tears.

“Yeah.” The Doctor replied sadly, dropping the Magnaclamp on the ground with a ‘Clang’.

“To another world, and then it gets sealed off.” Rose continued.

“Yes.” Seren said softly and firmly as the Doctor went to one of the computers and checked on the program.

“Forever?” Rose asked quietly, looking between the Doctor who was running the final checks and both the twins who were struggling to maintain a hold on their shields, Siwan still in Rajesh’s arms. She laughed at the absurdity of the notion of her leaving them alone. “That’s not gonna happen.”

A crash originating from outside shook the building, reminding them all that they only had moments left.

“We haven’t got time to argue. The plan works, we’re going.” Pete said briskly, taking charge and walking towards the white wall where the breach was located. Rajesh kissed Siwan’ forehead one last time before letting her go and following Pete. The rest of the group followed, the Parallel twins being supported by Mickey and Jake. Pete looked back at Rose, who didn’t move. “You, too. All of us.”

“No, I’m not leaving them!” Rose shouted angrily.

“I’m not going without Rose!” Jackie shouted, stepping away from Pete.

“Oh, my God! We’re going!” Pete shouted, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

“I've had 20 years without you, so button it!” Jackie snapped at Pete, glaring fiercely at him. “As much as I don’t like it, I understand that Seren and Siwan can’t go, but I'm not going without Rose.”

“Mum, you’ve got to.” Rose said, taking Jackie’s hand.

“Well, that’s tough!” Jackie snapped, turning the fierce expression on her daughter.

“Mum.” Rose said quietly.

‘Reboot in one minute.’

“I've had a life with you for 19 years.” Rose said softly, looking into Jackie’s eyes and barely managing to hold back her tears as she spoke to her mother, for what could possibly be the last time. “But then Seren met the Doctor and brought him into our lives. He healed her heart Mum, helped her shine again after Aunt Glenda and Uncle Ifan died. And together, they’ve done all sorts of things for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole… stupid planet and every planet out there. They did it alone, Mum.” The Doctor slowly pulled out is medallion, Pete noticing the movement and doing the same. “But not anymore.” She stepped back, away from Jackie. “Because now they’ve got me and Siwan.” The Doctor looped the chain around her neck from behind. “What are you-?”

Pete pressed the button and the entire group disappeared, leaving only the Doctor, Seren and Siwan. The twins screamed in pain and collapsed to the floor, feeling as though their hearts were being split apart from the loss of Jackie, Rose and Mickey – their connection to Pete not being as strong, since their Pete had died when they were children.

The Doctor darted towards them, holding them as they gasped frantically and tried to breathe through their pain.

Rose appeared suddenly in the same spot she had been when she disappeared.

“I think this is the ‘on’ switch.” She said, drawing their attention to her.

“Rose, what have you done?!” Seren gasped with wide eyes, looking up at the blonde from where she was on the floor.

Seren and Siwan could feel a small amount of the pain ebb away at Rose’s return, but knew what it meant – Rose would never see Jackie again.

“I meant what I said.” Rose said adamantly. “I’m not leaving you.”

The Doctor rose to his feet and strode over to Rose, grabbing her by the arms and stooping so that he was eye level with her.

“Rose, once that breach collapses, that’s it.” He said roughly. “You will _never_ be able to see her again. Your own mother!”

“I made my choice a long time ago, and I’m never going to leave you. Any of you.” Rose said softly, her voice shaky. The Doctor stared at her for a moment before letting go of her arms forcefully, nearly making her stumble back. “So what can I do to help?”

‘Systems rebooted. Open access.’

“You can start by thinking about what you are doing, Rose.” Seren said, getting to her feet and moving towards the blonde, her movements becoming surer with every step as her strength returned. “You will never see Aunt Jackie, Mickey, or even Uncle Pete again. Once that breach is sealed, that’ll be it. Do you understand that? Aunt Jackie won’t nag you every time she sees you, Mickey won’t tease you about something or the other, you won’t even have a relationship with the Parallel version of Uncle Pete. All of it will be gone, forever.”

“I know.” Rose said, looking at Seren in the eyes.

“On your own head, so be it.” Seren said, shaking her head and walking away.

Seren grabbed a Magnaclamp and began securing it to the wall along one of the levers with Siwan securing the second one on the opposite wall.

“Those coordinates over there.” The Doctor said, pointing at one of the computers. “Set them all at six.” Rose nodded and went towards the table he was pointing at. “And hurry up!” He added angrily.

Rose flinched at the anger that was directed at her and hurried to obey the orders, removing her medallion and putting it aside.

The Doctor went to the other terminal and inputted the coordinates, his jaw clenched angrily. Aside from Seren and Siwan, his entire family was dead, birth family and the extended family through his marriage to Astraea. In a way, a part of Astraea and Aludra were still dead because the twins didn’t have the telepathic bonds that they’d had in their previous lives, the telepathic bonds that connected the Time Lords to each other. He would give just about anything to have his _entire_ family back - his parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren - all of them, and Rose was willingly setting herself up for the same heartbreak and agony he was faced with every day.

“We’ve got Cybermen on the way up.” Rose called.

“How many floors down?” Seren called, her and Siwan crouching by the levers and ready to fire up the particle engines.

“Just one.” Rose replied.

The Doctor looked back at his keyboard and entered a command.

‘Levers operational.’

He grinned in satisfaction, the mad plan working so far.

Rose noticed the grin out of the corner of her eye and opened her mouth to comment on it, but decided against it. She realized why they had been so angry at her decision – the Doctor and the twins knew just how painful and crippling it was to move on without your family. The three of them had been lucky, they managed to find each other again after the twins had died in their previous lives. But now they were immortal, they were going to lose everyone they love eventually, everyone except for each other and a select few people who were also equally long lived – a group of people that _she_ was not among.

“Rose, get to the clamp.” Siwan said, drawing Rose out of her thoughts. Rose hurried to one of the Magnaclamps and grabbed hold of it.

“Siwan, as soon as the breach opens, get into Yvonne’s office.” The Doctor said, holding onto the second Magnaclamp with one hand and ready to pull Seren towards him as soon as the breach opens. “When it starts, just hold on tight. Siwan, you too even though you won’t be affected.”

“The effect shouldn’t be too bad for us, but the Daleks and Cybermen are steeped in the Void stuff.” Seren said, holding the lever handle tightly. She looked towards Siwan, “Are you ready”

“Yeah.” Siwan replied, nodding.

“So are they!” Rose yelled, looking out of Yvonne’s office window to see several Daleks flying towards them.

“Do it!” The Doctor shouted.

The twins pushed their levers up before letting go and running in opposite directions, Siwan to Yvonne’s office while Seren to the Doctor. Seren grabbed hold of the Magnaclamp and the Doctor circled her in as he held on to it as well. Siwan crouched in a corner of Yvonne’s office, still able to see into the Lever room from the clear glass partition.

‘Online.’

The room was filled with a bright white light, coming from the within the breach as a strong wind rushed towards it. The first of the Daleks crashed through the glass windows as they were sucked into the Void, screaming.

The Doctor, Seren and Rose held on tightly to the clamps, struggling against the force of the wind as it tried to pull them in as well.

“The breach is open!” The Doctor shouted over the wind. “Into the Void! Ha!”

Rose smiled at the Doctor and Seren as Cybermen began flying through the room as well and into the Void. She could feel hope blooming in her heart, they were so close… they could save both Universes and still stay together.

Suddenly, there was a small explosion and a shower of sparks shot out from the lever on Rose’s side. The lever slowly began to move back into the off position.

‘Offline.’

“Hold on!” The Doctor cried desperately.

The suction of the breach began to decrease as Rose tried to reach out to the lever handle while still holding on to the clamp.

Siwan, seeing Rose’s struggle to reach the lever through the glass, moved to leave the office.

“No! Siwan stay where you are!” Rose shouted over the wind, straining to grab the lever.

Siwan ducked back into her corner just as a Cyberman flew through the room right where she had been standing, flying into the breach.

Rose strained to reach the lever. Not able to reach it while still holding onto the clamp she let it go and fell onto the lever. Whimpering and struggling against the strong wind pulling her into the breach, she wrestled to get the lever back into position.

“Rose!” Siwan yelled through the glass, unable to move with the Daleks and Cybermen still being sucked into the breach though at a much slower pace.

“I’ve gotta get it upright!” Rose called, pushing the lever with all her might and groaning with the effort.

Finally, she managed to get it back into position.

‘Online and locked.’

The suction of the breach built up again, back to what it had been before. Rose held onto the lever as tightly as she could, unable to get back to the clamp.

“Please, hold on!” Siwan yelled, trapped in Yvonne’s office and unable to do anything.

Rose held on as she was being pulled into the Void horizontally. The force of the suction was too strong for her and she screamed, her fingers slowly beginning to slip from the lever handle.

“Rose! Hold on!” Seren yelled desperately, reaching one hand out to her and seeing her fingers slip.

Rose struggled against the wind pulling her and looked across the room and the Doctor and Seren, seeing them look back with wide, pleading eyes. In that moment, she knew that her time had come, she wouldn’t have forever with them because they were going to lose her to the Void.

Rose’s grip slipped entirely and she flew towards the breach, screaming.

“Rose!” The Doctor, Seren and Siwan screamed.

Pete suddenly appeared in front of the breach and caught Rose, holding her tightly. Rose looked over her shoulder at the Doctor and the twins as Pete hit the medallion and they vanished.

Seren and Siwan screamed in agony as they felt their connection to Rose break again and from knowing that they would never see her again. The Doctor held Seren tightly as her grip on the Magnaclamp faltered from the pain, feeling his own hearts break as well.

He stared at the place Pete and Rose disappeared. The wind died away as the breach closed itself off looking like paper going down a plug hole.

‘Systems closed.’

Siwan slowly walked out of Yvonne’s office, her arms around her body and tears streaming down her face. Seren clung to the Doctor as he held her up, tears streaming down her own face while a heartbroken expression was on his.

The three of them slowly walked up to the wall, in shock. The Doctor pressed his head against the wall, resting one hand against it as well while the other clung to Seren with the same strength she was holding him. Siwan clung to Seren on her other side, sobbing uncontrollably.

The Doctor moved away from the wall and wrapped his arms around the sobbing twins, slowly leading them out of the room, pausing long enough to grab Siwan’s purse from Yvonne’s office.

~*~

_“Last night, I had a dream. I heard voices and they were calling my name. I told Mum, Dad, Seren, Siwan, Adam, Rajesh and Mickey. Anyone else would think I was mad, but not those seven. They believed it because they've met the Doctor and they know the twins’ being Chosen Ones and reincarnated Time Ladies. So they listened to the dream. And that night, we packed up, got into Dad and Adam's old Jeeps and off we went. Just like the dream said. Followed the voices. Crossed the water, kept on driving hundreds and hundreds of miles. Because they’re calling.”_

Rose walked across the windswept beach alone. Pete, Jackie, Mickey, Seren, Siwan, Adam, JJ and Rajesh staying by the Jeeps.

_“Here I am at last. And this… this is the story of how I died.”_

~*~

Seren, Siwan and the Doctor faded onto the beach a few feet away from Rose, appearing as though from thin air.

Rose, seeing them from the corner of her eye, turned towards them fully. Her eyes widened in surprise at seeing them, their image transparent.

“Where are you?” Rose asked.

“Inside the TARDIS.” The Doctor replied, his voice sounding distant.

He was dressed in a fresh brown, pinstriped suit with a white button down shirt and white converse. His hair was a wild disarray of spike, as though he had run his hands through the thick locks repeatedly.

“There’s one tiny little gap between the Universes left, just about to close.” Seren said, her voice just as distant as the Doctor’s.

She was dressed in an amethyst purple and silver lehenga* that showed off her toned stomach and her Mark on her lower back, the dupatta around her neck with her hair in a pony held by a matching silver ribbon. One each hand, she had a silver bracelet-ring set decorated with amethysts* and hanging from her ears were a pair of diamond and amethyst drop earrings*. On her feet were a pair of amethyst purple 5” high heeled strappy sandals*. She had her perception filter back on her right hand, the Doctor had evidently returned it to her at some point after the Battle.

“It takes an enormous amount of power to send this projection.” Siwan said, sounding just as distant as the other two. “We’re orbiting a supernova.” She laughed dryly. “We’re burning a sun just to say good-bye.”

She was dressed in a lehenga as well, except hers consisted of a short-sleeved fuchsia blouse with silver embroidery that showed off her stomach and her Mark in between her shoulder-blades, a dark blue skirt that hung low on her hips with a thick fuchsia border at the bottom and a dark blue dupatta trimmed with fuchsia around her neck*. Her long hair was tied back into a half pony, held by a matching fuchsia ribbon. On each hand she had a silver bracelet-ring set, decorated with sapphires*. From her ears, dangled a pair of silver earrings, decorated with diamonds in different shades of pink* and on her feet were a pair of dark blue 5” high heeled sandals*.

“Speaking of…” Seren said, looking out towards Mickey and Jackie. “Mickey! Aunt Jackie!” She waved them over.

Jackie and Mickey jogged over to them, stopping beside Rose.

“You look like ghosts.” Jackie breathed quietly, looking at her god-daughters and the Time Lord.

Rose had explained to her about the twins being reincarnated Time Ladies, the reincarnations of the Doctor’s wife and daughter to be specific. At first, she had been furious that they had kept it from her until Rose explained that after the Doctor had managed to build up enough courage to _tell_ the twins, they hadn’t really been home aside from the incident with Elton – where Jackie had been depressed enough – and the battle that occurred at Canary Wharf. At that point, Jackie calmed down somewhat, though that didn’t stop her from shooting irritated glares in her daughter’s direction every once in a while – Mickey had been spared the wrath since he hadn’t had a clue about any of it, all occurring after he had decided to stay in the Parallel Universe the first time.

“Hold on.” The Doctor said, lifting the screwdriver and adjusting the settings. He pointed it at what they could only assume was the console and the three solidified, looking as though they really were present in the Parallel Universe. “How’s that?”

“You look…” Rose breathed, stepping forward and reaching her hand out to them. “Can I –”

“No.” Siwan said sadly, shaking her head. “We’re still just images.”

“Can’t you come through properly?” Jackie asked tearfully.

“The whole thing would fracture.” The Doctor said sadly, shaking his head. “Two Universes would collapse.”

“So?” Mickey asked, only half joking as he nudged Rose playfully.

The twins chuckled lightly while the Doctor smiled fondly at the humans that had taken him in and made him part of their family and their lives.

“Where are we?’ The Doctor asked, glancing around. “Where’d the gap come out?”

“We’re in Norway.” Jackie said.

“Norway.” The Doctor repeated, nodding. “Right.”

“About 50 miles out of Bergen.” Rose explained. “It's called 'Darlig Ulv Stranden'.

“Dalek?” The Doctor repeated in shock.

“Ada, it’s pronounced ‘Darl-IG’.” Siwan corrected, recognizing the name.

‘Ada’ and ‘Nana’, short for ‘Naneth’, had been what she used to call the Doctor and Seren respectively in her past life, as Aludra, and had taken to calling them that in the past few weeks since the Battle as her memories began filtering through to her conscious mind. She had vague memories of her previous life, like the events that have occurred but not the details, since she had only been 4 years old when she had died.

“Yeah.” Rose said, nodding. “It’s Norwegian for ‘bad’. This place translates to ‘Bad Wolf Bay’.”

“Talk about ironic.” Seren said, unable to help the bark of laughter that escaped her lips.

Rose laughed as well before it quickly faded.

“How long have we got?” Mickey asked, his voice cracking as he took Jackie and Rose’s hands, holding tightly.

“About two minutes, maybe three.” Seren replied, a few tears escaping from her eyes and falling down her cheeks.

“God, I can’t think of anything to say!” Jackie exclaimed, always being the one that could chatter on about anything and everything and nothing at the same time, much like the Doctor.

“That’s a first.” The Doctor said, chuckling fondly.

“OI!” Jackie shouted, glaring at him half-heatedly before it faded. “Where’s Rhi? And Johnny and the kids?”

“Johnny died.” Seren said softly, unable to stop the stream of tears that cascaded down her face. “That pain we felt when the Cyber Leader had ordered surrender – that was Johnny dying as he got Rhi and the kids to the safety bunker.”

“Oh, God!” Jackie cried, covering her mouth in horror as her tears streamed down her face.

Pete, seeing Jackie crying, hurried forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as she sobbed into his chest.

“Rhi wasn’t able to bring herself to enter the TARDIS.” The Doctor said softly, further explaining why Rhiannon and the kids weren’t with them. “The entire time we were in Cardiff while I was using the Rift to establish the connection, she couldn’t bring herself to enter. She sends her love and she misses you, all of you, so much.”

Rose and Mickey nodded in understanding, tears streaming down their faces at the news that the Johnny they had known all their lives was gone. There was still the Parallel version of him, who was currently in Cardiff with Rhiannon and the kids, but it didn’t lessen the pain that the one they knew was dead.

“You all still have each other.” Seren said to the distraught group reassuringly. “And you have our Parallel versions whom I know you will come to love just as much as you love us.”

“Yeah.” Rose said, nodding. “There’s 10 of us, now – Mum, Dad, Mickey, the twins, Adam, JJ, Rajesh… and the baby.”

“Who’s pregnant?” Siwan asked in surprise.

“Me.” Jackie replied, lifted her head from Pete’s chest and looking at the twins and the Doctor. “We’re three months gone.”

 “Aunt Jackie, Uncle Pete, that’s great!” Seren and Siwan exclaimed in unison, smiling brightly.

“More Tylers on the way.” Mickey said with a watery grin.

“What about the two of you?” The Doctor asked, looking at Rose and Mickey.

“I’m – I’m back working in a shop.” Rose said. “And Mickey’s working at a garage.”

“Good for you.” The Doctor said, nodding.

“Shut up.” Rose said, laughing tearfully.

“There's still a Torchwood on this planet.” Mickey said. “It's open for business. I reckon Rose, Rajesh and I know a thing or two about aliens.”

“How’s he holding up?” Siwan asked, nodding to where Rajesh was standing by the Jeeps.

“He’s doing okay.” Jackie replied. “Has nightmares, all of us do, but we’re holding on and we’re helping him.”

“That’s good.” Siwan said nodding, feeling a measure of relief at knowing her friend would have the love and support her and Seren had grown up with.

“Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith.” The Doctor said softly, looking at the two proudly and with a fond smile. “Defenders of the Earth.”

Mickey and Rose laughed lightly.

“You’re all dead, officially, back home.” Seren said, swallowing hard. “So many people died that day and you’re on the list of those missing and presumed dead.”

“Rajesh is on the list of the missing, I made sure of that.” Siwan said. “As far as anyone is concerned, the three of us are still travelling.”

“We’re in the process of selling the flat.” Seren added. “Siwan had moved in with Adam ages ago and whenever we go home, we’ll stay with her and Adam in Hampstead or Rhi and the kids in Cardiff.”

Rose and Jackie started crying, Mickey and Pete wrapping their arms around the two comfortingly. Both men could see the pained look on the twins faces and knew they wanted to be able to hold Rose and Jackie but couldn’t.

“But here you all are.” The Doctor said, wrapping his arms around the twins and holding them close.

“Living a life together, day after day.” Seren added.

“The one adventure we can never have.” The Doctor said quietly. “At least Seren and I can’t.” He chuckled lightly and squeezed Siwan’s shoulders playfully. “Siwan probably could, with Adam.”

“Shut up, Ada.” Siwan said, laughing lightly through her tears.

“Are we ever going to see you again?” Jackie asked tearfully.

“You can’t.” The Doctor said sadly, tears streaming down his face.

“What’re you gonna do?” Rose asked, sniffling and clinging to Mickey.

“Oh, we’ve got the TARDIS.” The Doctor said, trying to sound nonchalant but his pain was clear as day. “Same old life. The Last of the Time Lords and the Chosen Ones of the Mara.”

“Just the three of you?” Jackie asked. “On your own?”

“Adam will join us occasionally.” Siwan said as she nodded to Jackie’s question.

“I love you.” Rose cried, breathing shuddering breaths. “All three of you, so much.”

“I love you.” Seren said tearfully, looking at Jackie, Mickey and Rose.

“I love you Aunt Jackie, Rose, Mickey.” Siwan said, tears streaming down her face as well.

“Rose, Jackie…” The Doctor started, tears streaming down his face. “You both took me in and made me part of your family when you didn’t have to. And for that, I want to say, thank you. Thank you so much for healing me and putting me back together after the War.”

Seren looked off to the side, her eyes going wide.

“We’ve got seconds.” She warned, looking back at Mickey, Rose and Jackie. “Always together.”

“Always by each other.” Mickey, Rose and Jackie said tearfully.

“Always and forever.” The Doctor, Seren and Siwan finished just as they faded off the beach as if they had never been there.

Siwan and Seren broke down sobbing when the holographic images of Mickey, Rose and Jackie faded away.

The Doctor had tears streamed down his own face, though a part of him was happy that he was able to tell them what they meant to him, thank them for everything they had done for him. He wiped his tears and rubbed his face before gathering the twins into his arms, holding them as they sobbed brokenly into his chest.

Slowly, they stopped crying, not having any more tears left to shed.

“Let’s go home.” Siwan said quietly.

The Doctor and Seren nodded in agreement, needing to get away from the supernova, needing to be with the family they had left, needing to be home.

Siwan picked up Rose’s purple jacket that had been lying on the floor and draped it over the railing while the Doctor and Seren pushed buttons and levers, operating the console to take them away.

The Doctor looked towards Siwan, intending to ask her if she wanted to go to Hampstead or Cardiff when he saw something behind her.

“What?” He gasped in surprise, his eyes wide.

Seren and Siwan turned to see a woman standing with her back towards them, dressed in a white bridal gown with her red hair visible through the white veil. The Bride turned around as well, yelping in surprise.

“What?!” The Doctor repeated.

“Who are you?” The Bride asked, looking at the three of them disdainfully.

“But – But – But –” Seren stammered, looking at the monitor in shock.

“Where am I?” The Bride asked, her voice rising to a shout.

“What?!” The Doctor repeated, shaking his head.

“That – That can’t be possible!” Siwan exclaimed, looking at the Bride in shock.

“What the hell is this place?” The Bride asked, her voice now a full shout.

“WHAT?!”

_ Links: _

_*Parallel Seren and Parallel Siwan blouses -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/329607266465077316/> _

_*Parallel Seren and Parallel Siwan boots -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480804397/> _

_*Parallel Siwan wedding band -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479623117/> _

_*Seren lehenga when saying good-bye (amethyst purple and silver), hair in a high pony held by a silver ribbon and the dupatta around her neck -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478837619/> _

_*Seren bracelet-ring set on each hand -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479055547/> _

_*Seren earrings -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479204829/> _

_*Seren shoes (amethyst purple) -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/275282595947373236/> _

_*Siwan lehenga when saying good-bye, hair in a half pony held by a fuchsia ribbon with the dupatta around her neck -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478299137/> _

_*Siwan bracelet-ring set (decorated with sapphires) -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479847713/> _

_*Siwan earrings -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/496381190149533624/> _

_*Siwan shoes -<https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879479055920/> _


End file.
